Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney- Turnabout Of The Revengers
by DeraldSny
Summary: While shooting a movie in Lastation, one of the studio crew is found dead, and K-Sha of Gold Third is accused... looks like another case for Rei Ryghts!
1. Prologue

You all asked for it, so you've got it! It's time for another case for Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney! Enjoy the prologue!

Rei Ryghts was seething, as her plans were falling to pieces. The portal to the Ultradimension had been disrupted, her army of Ultra Beasts had been literally _nuked,_ and now this... this *mockery* of a muscleman, with a Dogoo for a head, was confronting her alone?

 **"ENOUGH!"** the HDD CPU screeched. "You are all beneath me! I am a *goddess*, you dumb creature! And I will not be waylaid by-" Her ranting was cut off as the Dogoo Man grabbed her by the face and slammed her to the ground, before tossing her into the air, grabbing her by the leg, and slamming her into the floor again... then a pillar... then the floor again... then a wall... and finally, into a small set of stairs, her transformation reverting as she lost consciousness.

"Hmph. Puny god," muttered Dogoo Man as he crossed his arms.

"Aaaaaand CUT! Beautiful! That was perfect!" The movie director made an OK sign with his hand, grinning. "OK, now get the rest of the heroes up here for the next cut! Dogoo Man, stand over here!" The muscleman did as ordered.

"Nnnnnnnnggghhh..." Rei groaned as she slowly roused. (Why did I agree to do my own stunts...)

"OK, stay right there, Rei! We're getting the next shoot ready!" The director said when he saw the woman stirring. "Don't get up until you hear the word 'action', alright?"

"Mmmm, OK," Rei mumbled. "No problem..." (Ohh, the pain...)

"...OK, everyone in place? Good! Aaaand... _ACTION!"_

Rei slowly turned herself over before pulling herself up to her hands and knees, before looking behind her, seeing the entire Revengers team, standing at the ready.

"Um..." She giggled nervously as she readjusted her glasses. "W-would it b-be t-too late t-to negotiate t-terms of s-surrender...?"

"And CUT! Perfect!"

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

Prologue

 _September 16, 12:49 PM_

 _Lastation City Production Studios_

 _'The Revengers' Movie Set_

"Way to go, Dogoo Man!" K-Sha uttered excitedly. "You nailed that one! You sure showed that villain what for, huh?"

"I got nailed, all right," Rei groaned as she stumbled over, favoring her back... "Ooooh, I'm not as young as I used to be..."

"Is she right, Mistress? Did I do good?" Dogoo Man asked the woman standing next to K-Sha, who had white hair, red eyes, and dressed in gray and black.

"...You did well, Dogoo Man," the woman, S-Sha, replied. "But don't get full of yourself. In reality you wouldn't stand a chance in hell against Rei Ryghts' HDD form."

"That's right, worm," Rei agreed as she briefly slipped into her 'berserk' persona. "I *let* you win, so don't get cocky! (ow)"

"I'm just glad you've been able to control yourself in HDD, so *I* don't have to step in," another voice spoke up.

"Hi, Uni!" K-Sha greeted as the CPU Candidate of Lastation walked up to the group. "Wasn't that scene amazing? The audience is going to love that!"

"Well, of *course* they'd love seeing Rei Ryghts get her comeuppance," Uni shrugged. "Y'know, though, that Rei only agreed to play the villain on the condition that either me or Noire was on hand during her HDD scenes, just in case..."

"I-it's a struggle," Rei nodded. "I have t-to keep t-telling myself, 'It's just a movie, it's just a movie'..."

"I'm surprised you can still transform at all," S-Sha observed.

"I thought I a-already e-explained that..." the horned lawyer sighed.

"Right, you can transform because of the faith your clients put in you to get them off the hook," Uni nodded.

"Right," Rei nodded back. "N-never thought I'd b-be using HDD i-in th-this way, though..."

"Are you kidding?" said the director as he walked up. "You make a great villain! I'm so glad I ran into you during your vacation in Leanbox... You'll make this film a box-office hit for sure!"

"*Ahem*," S-Sha cleared her throat loudly.

"O-Oh, and uh... thank you, Miss S-Sha, for allowing me to cast your Dogoo Man as one of the heroes," The director acknowledged. "Even if you weren't interested at first..."

"...The only reason I agreed was because you cast my comrade K-Sha in your film as well," S-Sha pointed out. "As a fellow member of Gold Third, I felt I had to look out for her safety..."

"Oh, S-Sha, you're worrying too much," K-Sha sighed. "I mean, it's not like I'm doing any insane stunts like Rei is..."

"...You're just afraid that K-Sha's gonna have an accident like you did, right?" asked Uni.

The gray-haired woman immediately turned and froze Uni with an ice-cold glare. "*How* did you know about that?!"

"N-Nepgear told me," Uni stuttered as she took a step back. "She was there with Vert during the incident with AffirMAX, if you remember..."

S-Sha's face softened slightly. "I see. Well, you're correct in that sense, although I also want to protect her from Ms. Ryghts if she does indeed lose control..."

"How noble of you," the director nodded. "Anyway, K-Sha, you need to go and get changed. We're setting up the studio for your shot next!"

"Oh!" K-Sha gasped. "OK, I guess we should head to the dressing room then..."

 _September 16_

 _Lastation City Production Studios_

 _Dressing Rooms_

"So, K-Sha..." Uni began. "I keep forgetting to ask, but what role are you playing, exactly?"

"Oh, it's a really minor role compared to Miss Rei's," K-Sha grunted as she changed into her costume. "I'll just be playing a crazy gun-wielding girl who starts shooting up a business, and gets stopped by Titanium Man..."

Uni sweat-dropped at that. "I thought you were trying to move past your old _'crazy yandere'_ image..."

"Well, like Miss Rei said, it's just a movie," K-Sha countered. "Besides, who wouldn't want to have a role in a movie like this? Er, other than S-Sha, of course," she glanced over at the platinum-blonde.

"Hmph," S-Sha grunted in response.

"Um... W-would it be t-too forward t-to ask w-what exactly happened t-to you, Miss S-Sha?" Rei inquired.

"...Let's just say I'm lucky to be alive, and leave it at that," S-Sha stated in a tone that would brook no argument.

"I'll tell you the details later," Uni whispered into the lawyer's ear.

"...Tonight, on Backline!" A television sounded in the corner. "A special one hour documentary! The Dragon Killer, the greatest serial killer Lastation has never seen-"

 _*BLAM!*_ The screen shattered.

 _"EEEEK!"_ Rei and Uni jumped back in shock from K-Sha's action, a machine gun having suddenly appeared in her hand. "Wh-what was that f-for?!"

"I second that!" gasped Uni. "Do you wanna cause a panic in the studio?!"

"...Sorry. Reflex." K-Sha put the gun away, before turning and walking toward the door. "Time for my 15 minutes of fame. Wish me luck..."

(Is it just me, or did her personality do a complete 180?) Rei looked over at S-Sha, who just shrugged...

 _September 16_

 _Lastation City Production Studios_

 _'The Revengers' Movie Set_

"And _ACTION!"_ the director called.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" K-Sha cried as she emptied the magazines of her dual machine guns over the frightened civilians who had ducked for cover. "How do you like that? You wanna call me a cute little girl again? _Huh?!"_ There was no response, as she pointed one of her guns at the ceiling. "'Cause this is what happens to anyone who treats me like a little _cutesy!"_ She pulled the trigger, shooting a short burst of bullets upward, causing the people to scream in fear...

But then, someone dropped down behind her. "That'll be enough, young lady!" K-Sha turned, to see a man clad head-to-toe in gold-and-red colored armor.

"Who are YOU calling 'young lady'?!" the brunette screamed as she opened fire. However, the bullets simply bounced off the man's armor with no effect, as he slowly walked forward, before grabbing both guns by the barrels, ripping them from K-Sha's grasp and tossing them away.

"You *do* realize that this suit is comprised of high-grade titanium alloy," the man deadpanned. "Playtime's over..."

K-Sha's resolve immediately vanished, to be replaced by fear. _"E... Eyaaaaaaahhh!"_ she screamed as she turned and fled in the opposite direction.

"And CUT!" said the director. "Nicely done! Good work, everyone!"

"S-so he j-just lets her escape?" Rei asked Uni.

"No, he flies after her and pins her down, according to the script," Uni whispered back. "I think there's a shot where K-Sha runs away, where they're gonna put in a CG shot of Titanium Man flying after her..."

Sure enough, they did indeed make such a shot, and then another shot where Titanium Man spouted a one-liner after catching the offender, though they had to re-shoot it when the actor flubbed his line.

"And CUT! That's a wrap! Good work, everyone! Take five!" said the director. Turning away, he nearly ran into an androgynous-looking woman with short white hair and dressed in a black military uniform. "Oh! O-Oracle Jinguji! I wasn't expecting to see you today..."

"Director," the woman stated, "I want an update on the progress of filming- specifically, the shots involving the former goddess Rei Ryghts."

"O-oh, that? It's gone swimmingly so far!" the director said confidently. "No problems whatsoever!"

"Hi, Kei!" Uni greeted. "Don't worry, Rei's been behaving herself!" She indicated the woman in question, who waved nervously.

"Well, that's good to hear," Kei Jinguji nodded. "After all, if she *had* gone berserk, I would at least be forced to divert the money from the contract deal with Leanbox, to allow them to sell the video game adaptations in their country as well as ours..."

"As concerned with the bottom line as ever, huh?" Uni sweat-dropped.

"So basically, if Miss Rei goes berserk, then no video games based on this movie?" K-Sha inquired.

"S-stop making it sound like a f-foregone c-conclusion!" Rei whined.

"Please calm yourself, Ms. Ryghts," said Kei. "After all, seeing as you've only transformed three times in total since you regained your CPU power, at least before we started shooting this film, I deemed the risk as acceptable."

"Thank Goddess for that," sighed the director. "After all, the villain was the one thing I kept getting stuck on when I first conceived this film..."

"Yeah, well, I'm not looking forward to my 'confrontation' scene with Ms. Ryghts, even if she's in civilian form for most of the take..." The actor playing Titanium Man cut in as he removed his helmet, revealing short messy blond hair, black eyes, a sharp nose, and a mustache and goatee.

"Y-you d-don't have anything t-to fear from me, Mr. Downer!" Rei squeaked. "Honestly, I-I'm more s-scared of y-you..."

"Which is completely irrational," Kei pointed out. "After all, just because Mr. Downer's had problems with drugs in the past doesn't mean he was a violent sort..."

"Geez, Oracle, cut right to the heart, why don't ya..." Downer groaned, shaking his head. "And how about you, Miss S-Sha? You sure you don't want a part in this movie, even as a cameo? I think you'd be great!"

"Not interested," S-Sha shot him down. But then, something caught her eye as she looked up... **"K-SHA!"** she screamed as she ran and tackled her friend...

Not a second later, a stage light fell to the ground with a *CRASH!*, spraying tiny glass shards everywhere.

"Are you all right, K-Sha?" The platinum blonde breathed out, shaking slightly.

"I-I'm fine," K-Sha confirmed.

"Miss S-Sha, that was completely unnecessary," sighed Kei as she closed her eyes and put a finger to her forehead. "Your companion was nowhere near the line of fire..."

"In other words, it woulda missed her by a mile," Downer deadpanned.

"Whoops! Sorry 'bout that, Mistress!" A voice called from above, causing S-Sha to look up...

 _"Dogoo Man!"_ the Gold Third member cried, "What the _hell_ are you doing up there?!"

"Uh, well..." Dogoo Man put a hand behind his head. "This guy was telling me to go find the lighting effects guy, so they could start setting up for the next shoot, so I climbed up here to look for him..."

"Did you find him?" the director asked.

"Uh, yeah, I did, but..." Dogoo Man shrugged in confusion. "I can't seem to wake him up no matter what I do... I think something's wrong with his chest, cause it's all red..."

"Red?" Rei blinked. "As in, _blood red?"_

"What? Reggie's bleeding from the chest?!" the director gasped in shock.

"No worries, director! I'm on it!" said Uni as she transformed to HDD. "I'll bring him down in a flash!" With that, Black Sister flew up to the rafters following where Dogoo Man pointed...

 **"AAAAAAHHH!** He's... he's _DEAD!_ He's been shot in the chest!"

 _"Dead?!"_ the director screeched. Immediately the actors and camera crew started muttering in shock and confusion, until Kei Jinguji let loose with a high-pitched whistle.

"Attention, everyone! This studio is now a crime scene!" The Oracle declared. "No-one is allowed to leave until cleared of suspicion by the authorities! Security, contact the police! Uni, get your mobile device and take pictures of the corpse! K-Sha, Ms. Ryghts, you'll stay close to me! All other actors, return to your dressing rooms until further notice!" Immediately everyone scrambled to do as Kei ordered...

"W-why do we have t-to stay c-close to you?" Rei asked.

"Because right now, you and Miss K-Sha are technically the most likely suspects, given your violent pasts," The Oracle of Lastation explained. "But hopefully, the subsequent investigation will exonerate both of you..."

"B-but I don't have any reason to kill anyone, especially the lighting effects guy!" K-Sha protested. "I barely even know him...!"

"I know him," the director cut in, "He was my true companion through thick and thin! How could this happen...? Is this the end of my movie... before it even begins?!" he wailed to the sky.

*To be continued...*


	2. Investigation, Day 1

Yay! The next chapter of Turnabout Of The Revengers has arrived!

Author Candidate-James Scott- Hopefully it'll be up to your standards...

ookami486- Interesting indeed...

Your Everyday NEET- Yeah, tie-in games are almost always crap... there are exceptions though.

GX-Nepgear- Yeah, K-Sha hasn't had the best luck lately, has she?

Author Heart - Ance Xila Scott- I think you have stories confused...

decode9- Thanks. Hopefully it'll get better from here...

Draen- Steel Samurai? Personally, I think that show's overrated... :P

And now... ON WITH THE SHOW!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

Investigation- Day 1

 _September 16, 2:13 PM_

 _Lastation City Production Studios_

 _'The Revengers' Movie Set_

"Have no fear, the police are here!" declared the detective as he and his fellow police officers entered the studio. "Harold D. Thomas, reporting for duty!" He was somewhat large, but more muscular than fat, though his belly betrayed some paunch. He had short black hair and a full beard, but no mustache. His brown eyes looked about, quickly locking on Kei Jinguji.

"You're late, detective," Kei deadpanned. "It should not have taken you this long to get here, unless you failed to take the most efficient route..."

"Ever hear of traffic, Oracle?" Detective Thomas shot back, as he adjusted his large gray trench coat. "We got here as fast as we could, alright? So then... where's the body?"

"Up in the rafters," Uni spoke up. "I've already taken pictures of the scene..."

The detective blinked in mild surprise. "L-Lady Uni? You're here, too?!"

"One of the actors is a good friend of mine," the goddess explained, pointing to K-Sha, who waved half-heartedly.

"Oh, right, I see," Harold nodded.

"Detective Thomas," Kei cut in, "The victim is Reggie Wright, a stage light technician. He was apparently shot dead in the chest while working on the lights above where the most recent scene was being shot. Lady Uni has pictures of the body, which she will share with you, if you have a current mobile device that is."

"Unfortunately, I don't," Thomas sighed, "But I'm sure at least one of the officers does... Just let me have a look for now."

"Yes, sir," Uni agreed, pulling up the photos to show to the detective, who took the mobile device from her to get a better look.

"Hmmm... looks like he was shot multiple times, at least three," Thomas observed.

"That's what I thought, too," Uni nodded.

The detective then spotted the broken stage light. "What happened there?"

"My fault!" said Dogoo Man as he walked up, raising his hands in an apologetic gesture. "Totally my fault. It was an accident, I swear!"

"I thought I told you to stay in your dressing room," Kei stated.

"...I'm guessing he's one of the actors?" Harold Thomas muttered, sweat-dropping at the muscleman's appearance.

"Yup! And I'm the one that found the body!" Dogoo Man nodded. "I came out when I heard the police were here, so I could show 'em where it was..."

"Well, if you're as half as strong as you look, then you can help the others get the body down from the rafters so they can send Mr. Wright to autopsy," Detective Thomas suggested.

"Yes, sir!" Dogoo Man saluted, before heading off to do just that.

"So then..." Harold turned back to Kei as he took out a notepad. "What was everyone doing before the body was discovered?"

"They were just wrapping up the shooting of a scene when I arrived," Kei stated. "But for more details on that, you should ask Director Iceberg..."

The detective blinked at this. "Iceberg? As in Steve Iceberg?!"

"That's me," the director affirmed as he walked up.

"Wow!" gasped Thomas, "I can't believe I'm actually meeting you in person, sir!" He shook the director's hand vigorously. "Your movie 'Far-out Encounters of the Fifth Kind' is one of my all-time favorite flicks!"

"That old gem?" Iceberg chuckled. "I mean sure, that *was* the movie that put me on the map, but still..."

"Gentlemen, if you would please return to the matter at hand," Kei Jinguji cut in.

"Urk!" both men flinched. "Um, right then..." The detective cleared his throat. "So, ah, what were you filming before the body was found?"

"A scene featuring Titanium Man taking down this crazy gun-wielding girl," Iceberg answered. "The actor playing that girl is Miss K-Sha over there," he indicated the brunette, who waved again nervously.

"I see... so were there real bullets used?" Thomas inquired.

"Well, yes... but we took every safety precaution to ensure no-one would get hit by accident!" The director insisted. "Lady Uni and Miss K-Sha herself made sure of that!"

"Is that so?" Thomas muttered, before turning to K-Sha. "So when you were acting out this scene, did you ever fire any bullets into the ceiling?"

"Um... just a short burst, but..." The former mercenary suddenly gasped as realization dawned. "W-wait, you don't think I... that I shot Mr. Wright dead when I did that?!"

"HOLD IT! Wait just a minute!" The director cut in. "That doesn't make any sense! I know Reggie, he would've been long gone off the rafters before shooting commenced! I don't buy it!"

Detective Thomas considered this. "Alright, well first... how about you show me where you were standing when you fired into the ceiling, Miss K-Sha?"

"Sure," K-Sha nodded, following the larger man onto the stage. "Let's see... I think I was standing... right about here," she came to a stop. She and Harold Thomas then looked up...

"Hello!" Dogoo Man waved to them. "Had a little trouble there, but we're gettin' Mr. Wright moved outta here now!"

"Is that about where you found him to begin with?" Thomas called up.

"Yup!" the muscleman confirmed.

K-Sha's eyes went wide at this. "No..." She slowly sank to her knees in disbelief. "Th-this can't be happening..."

"HOLD IT!" Rei suddenly cried out as she walked up. "Even if what you say is true, detective, this was clearly an accident, which means it's involuntary manslaughter at worst!"

"And who might you be?" Thomas asked.

"U-um..." Rei faltered, bowing her head. "I'm, um, a d-defense attorney," she indicated her badge.

"From Lowee?" the detective observed.

"Y-yes sir... Um, the d-director invited me here..." She pressed her index fingers together. "B-but I'm willing to act as K-Sha's attorney if it's c-called f-for..."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by shouting from the door. "Hey, you can't go in there!" cried a security guard. A small wiry man ran up, with light brown spiked hair, a camera in his hands and a near-crazed look in his grey eyes.

"Whoo-hoo! I knew there was a scoop!" the man yelled as he started taking pictures, focusing mostly on the dead body that had just been moved to ground level. "My instincts never lead me wrong!"

"Oh no, _not you again!"_ yelled Director Iceberg. "Haven't you hounded me enough, you moron?!"

"Not when there's dirt to be dug up!" the man taunted. "Just think of the headlines! 'Iceberg's Latest Movie Derailed By Murder! Actor Arrested! Revengers Goes Down In Flames!' It'll be my biggest scoop yet!"

"I don't think so, buddy! Gimme that camera!" Detective Thomas yelled as he lunged, the man easily dodging out of the way.

"Sorry, detective, but even you have no chance against the power of the press! So says Razzie Porter, news journalist extraordinaire!"

"More like 'yellow journalist extrordinaire'!" growled the director.

"HOLD IT! Detective, let me handle this," said Rei as she walked up to the reporter. "Now listen here, worm, you're getting me really pissed off... do you know what happens when I get pissed off?"

"What happens?" Razzie asked with a hint of sarcasm.

 **"I transform."** With that, the lawyer was engulfed in a pillar of light, everyone stepping back as Chaos Heart appeared from the light.

 _"What the hell?!"_ screamed Razzie. "Wait a minute, I know you! You're Rei Ryghts, the psycho goddess who nearly leveled Planeptune!"

"WHAT?!" cried Thomas in shock.

"Damn straight," Rei smirked. "Every good movie needs a villain, after all! And who better than someone who actually caused the CPUs themselves trouble in the past!" She slowly floated forward. "And it's been a while since I've had some fresh _blood..."_ With that, she fired a small red ball of energy which blasted Porter's camera to smithereens.

"Wahhh!" the man scrambled away in fear.

"You have five seconds to get out of my sight or die, maggot," Chaos Heart demanded. "Five... four... three... _two..."_

"EYAAAAAAAAAHH!" Razzie screamed as he fled the studio as fast as his feet could carry him, the security guards stepping aside to let him pass through.

 _"And don't come back!"_ Rei yelled after him, before letting her transformation revert. "Phew... I'm so g-glad he d-didn't call my b-bluff..."

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Harold Thomas gasped.

"Me too!" Uni concurred. "Couldn't you have just told him who you were, instead of transforming outright?!"

"I d-didn't think he w-would b-believe me..." Rei argued.

"Well please, for the Goddesses' sake, don't ever do that again!" gasped Thomas, still clutching his chest. "I mean, seriously, director? Casting *her* of all people as the villain?!"

"With all due respect, Detective, that's another reason for Lady Uni being here," Director Iceberg explained, "on the off chance that Miss Ryghts regresses or something..."

"Enough," Kei interjected, "what's done is done. Although, this may potentially increase the possibility of scandal surrounding this movie, which could hamper its production at best. Even if you destroyed all his photographic evidence, Rei, I fear there will be many people in Lastation who will believe Razzie Porter based on word-of-mouth alone. Which is why we need to nip this in the bud as quickly as possible."

"So what do you suggest, Oracle?" Thomas inquired.

"Hmmm..." Kei considered the options for a moment before addressing Rei again. "Rei Ryghts, you said a minute ago that you were willing to act as Miss K-Sha's lawyer?"

"Y-yes..." Rei nodded.

"Excellent. Then you can represent Miss K-Sha in court when we put her on trial for manslaughter."

"Huh...?!" K-Sha blinked.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Uni screamed. "You can't be serious, Kei!"

The Oracle just shook her head. "I'm always serious, as you should well know. Putting her on trial would show the general public that we're serious about resolving this incident as quickly as possible, and in so doing, cut the legs out from any attempt by Mr. Porter to claim a conspiracy or cover-up."

"No way!" Uni protested. "As CPU Candidate of Lastation, I can't allow such a baseless charge to be brought against my friend!"

Kei was unfazed. "If you believe the charges to be so baseless, Lady Uni, then you can assist Ms. Ryghts in her defense of K-Sha."

The goddess blinked, before nodding sharply. "F-fine then! Then that's exactly what I'll do!" She turned to Rei. "You're OK with that, right?"

"O-of course! I-I'll t-take all the help I c-can get!" Rei affirmed, sweating a little.

"It's settled then," Kei nodded. "Miss K-Sha, I trust you are willing to submit to police custody for the time being?"

"Um... sure, I guess," K-Sha muttered.

"And you'll also have to turn over any and all firearms in your possession," Detective Thomas stated, briefly feeling around the brunette's waist, before pulling out a machine gun from seemingly nowhere. "Like this one, for instance."

"What the-?! How did you know that was there?!" K-Sha gasped in shock.

"I'm a detective, ma'am. It's my job," Thomas deadpanned. "Alright, officer, if you could take this lady down to central booking... but be gentle with her."

"Yes, sir!" the officer saluted, before escorting K-Sha out of the studio, the ex-yandere giving a glance back to Rei and Uni.

"I'll send you the paperwork later!" Rei called after her.

"Don't worry, K-Sha! We'll get you acquitted, I promise!" Uni shouted before K-Sha disappeared out the door.

"I hope so!" her voice echoed back.

"Well then," Thomas grunted as he handed the machine gun off to another officer, "while we're on the subject of firearms, where are the guns the suspect used in the actual shoot?"

"Right there at the edge of the stage," Kei pointed out. "Also, all of Miss K-Sha's spare firearms should be stored in her dressing room."

"Alright," the larger man acknowledged.

"Um, Detective..." Uni cut in. "Would it be alright if Miss Rei and I took a look at where the body was found? I know I took photos, but..."

Thomas bit his lip briefly. "Well, seeing as it's you, Lady Uni, I guess it's all right... just try not to touch anything, okay?"

"Sure, no problem!" Uni saluted to him. "Oh, but before we do that, I guess I should share my photos with you, Miss Rei..."

"Sure," the lawyer nodded as she took out her mobile device. "B-but if we're going t-to be working t-together, th-then could you n-not call me 'Miss'?"

"...fair enough, I guess," The twin-tailed goddess shrugged as she transferred the photo data. "Then you can just call me Uni, Mi- er, Rei."

"Deal."

*Crime Scene Photos added to the Court Record.*

Rei then turned back to the shattered stage light. (Probably should make a record of that, too, just in case...)

*Broken Stage Light added to the Court Record.*

"S-so how are we g-going to c-climb up there?" the lawyer asked.

"Who said anything about climbing?" Uni stated as she transformed to HDD again. "When I can just carry you up there?"

"Well, th-that works, I guess..." Rei muttered as Black Sister wrapped her arms under her armpits, before levitating upward...

As they ascended to the rafters, Rei had to remove her glasses and blink a few times as one of the lights shone directly in her eyes. "It got me too," Black Sister grunted in sympathy. Once their vision was clear, the goddess slowly floated to where the body had been discovered, seeing red tape placed where the body had been found.

"C-can you fly around to th-the angle from w-where you t-took the photos?" Rei asked.

"Sure," Black Sister nodded, slowly moving to the position she'd taken the photos at. Once in position, Rei pulled up the photos on her mobile device to compare, then slowly looking around the area...

"Hey, what's that?" the lawyer pointed at a scrap of cloth caught on one of the light fixtures.

Black Sister blinked in mild surprise. "Huh, didn't see that before..." She and Rei floated a little closer. "Looks like the same color as Mr. Wright's shirt..."

Rei looked at the crime scene photo, seeing a noticeable tear on the victim's shirt. "Look, see? It matches this tear. This has to be evidence of some sort..."

*Scrap of Cloth added to the Court Record.*

"Do you think Mr. Wright got his shirt caught when he was crawling into position?" Black Sister hypothesized.

"Maybe..." said Rei. (But that scrap is in a rather low spot...) "But there's something else that's strange..."

"What's that?"

"I'm not seeing any blood spatter around where the body was found... if the victim was shot right here, you'd think there'd be more blood..."

The goddess gasped in comprehension. "Oh wow, you're right! And wouldn't have blood dripped down to the stage, too?"

"Exactly," Rei nodded. "Which means Mr. Wright couldn't have been shot right here!"

"He was shot somewhere else, and then moved into this position later!" Black Sister deduced. "That proves K-Sha is innocent!"

"N-not completely..." the lawyer sighed.

"Wh... what do you mean?!"

"W-well, first, c-could you p-put me back down? I think we've seen everything we n-need to see up h-here..." Black Sister promptly complied, reverting to Uni after they touched down. "Th-the problem is, the p-prosecution will challenge us t-to p-prove where the v-victim was really k-killed..."

"You don't think he was killed right there?" Detective Thomas spoke up.

"Well, would it kill ya to look around the rest of the studio for any blood spatter?" Uni requested.

"Uh..." the man put a hand behind his head. "Sure, I guess we could do that, Lady Uni..." He then turned to give orders to the forensics team.

Uni then turned to Rei. "Sooo... now what?"

"M-maybe we should t-tell S-Sha about w-what happened with K-Sha," Rei suggested.

"Oh yeah!" Uni nodded. "OK, let's head to Dogoo Man's dressing room... she should still be there..."

 _September 16_

 _Lastation City Production Studios_

 _Dressing Rooms_

As Rei and Uni approached Dogoo Man's dressing room, they quickly realized S-Sha wasn't alone...

"...y'know, it's not that often these days we get to talk like this," said a young man with short black hair, who wore a black t-shirt and blue jeans. "Ever since that accident happened..."

"Yes," replied S-Sha, though her eyes were now a bright green in color. "I don't like to think about it... I'm just glad I was able to save S-Sha in time..."

(Wait, what?!) thought Rei. "What is she talking about?!" she whispered to Uni.

Uni just shook her head. "Later," she promised. "But who's that boy?"

"I've seen him scurrying around the studio here and there," Rei answered. "I don't know his name though..."

The boy then spoke again, "Still, it must suck to not be in control of your own body most of the time, E-Sha..."

'E-Sha' just shrugged. "I've gotten used to it... the only reason I'm in control now is because that man's death brought those bad memories back to the surface... Poor S-Sha..." She then glimpsed Rei and Uni standing a short distance away, gasping as her eyes swiftly changed back to red. "What the... E-Sha, why did you... oh. Rei Ryghts. I should have known..."

"I'm sorry!" the lawyer bowed her head. "W-we didn't mean t-to eavesdrop...!"

"Aw, man!" the boy groaned as he turned, revealing black eyes set into a lightly freckled face. "I finally get a chance to catch up with my old friend, and you ruined it!"

"I'm sorry! So, so sorry!" Rei squeaked, sweating. "Wait, old friend?"

"Tori here is friends with E-Sha," S-Sha explained. "Another reason I agreed to let Dogoo Man be cast in this film..."

"So... is E-Sha an alternate personality or something?" Rei asked. The way S-Sha's face hardened indicated that was the wrong answer...

"That's not it!" the boy, Tori, cut in. "S-Sha and E-Sha used to be two different people, but when S-Sha had her accident, E-Sha took her soul into her own body!"

"W-what?!" the former goddess gasped. "T-Two souls... i-in one body?!"

"That's right," S-Sha nodded. "However, E-Sha is... somewhat shy, which is why I am in control most of the time."

Rei blinked several times. "I... I see..."

"Anyway, why are you here?" S-Sha inquired. "And where is K-Sha?"

"Um, well... that's the thing, see..." Uni stammered.

The platinum blonde's eyes narrowed. "You aren't going to tell me she was arrested..."

"Th-that's not it!" Rei blurted out. "Oracle Jinguji asked her to submit to custody voluntarily! A-and she agreed!"

S-Sha blinked. "...Why?"

"Well, yada yada yada..." Uni began.

"Blah blah blah blah..." Rei supplemented.

"...I didn't understand that at all."

Tori face-palmed at this. "Basically, K-Sha's going on trial for manslaughter because some crazy reporter broke in and threatened to bring down this whole movie by suggesting scandal because of Mr. Wright's death."

"A-and I'm g-going to d-defend her!" Rei added.

S-Sha considered this for a few moments. "I don't like this... K-Sha tried to murder Noire herself in the past, what if that's used as some sort of motive?"

"I-it's completely irrelevant!" the lawyer protested. "And inadmissible in court! That was then, this is now!"

"It'll be fine, S-Sha," Uni tried to reassured the Gold Third member. "After all, Rei here managed to clear Nepgear of false charges a few months back! She's earned my trust, as far as I'm concerned!"

"Is that so?" muttered S-Sha. "For K-Sha's sake, I hope that trust is not misplaced..."

"I promise, I-I'll d-do my b-best to uncover the t-truth of wh-what really h-happened here!" Rei insisted.

"Just as long as you don't transform and go berserk in the process..." Tori muttered under his breath.

"B-but I've never t-transformed in c-court!" the former goddess squeaked.

Just then, an officer ran up. "Hey, Ms. Ryghts, Lady Uni! Detective Thomas sent me to fetch you! He thinks we might've found blood spatter!"

"Really?!" gasped Uni. "Well, hurry up and show us! C'mon, Rei!" she gestured as she ran off.

"C-coming!" said Rei as she followed after the other two.

 _September 16_

 _Lastation City Production Studios_

 _Storage Room_

"We're here!" Uni announced as she and Rei arrived on the scene. "So what'd you find?"

"Lady Uni, Ms. Ryghts," Harold Thomas acknowledged the two women. "Actually, we've found some red spots on the curtains over there," he pointed to said curtains in question, which had several red spots near the bottom. "We were just about to run a luminol test on these..."

"Luminol... that's when it glows under a certain light if it's blood, right?" asked Uni.

"UV light, actually," Thomas confirmed, before handing two pairs of red-orange shades to the duo. "Which is why you should wear these special glasses to protect your eyes."

"I know," Rei nodded as she removed her eyeglasses and donned the shades. "N-not the f-first time I've d-done this..."

"OK, I'm ready," said Uni as she adjusted the shades on her face.

"Alright then," nodded the detective, having donned his own pair of shades, while a forensic technician sprayed the luminol solution. "Hit the lights." The room went dark, as the technician turned on the blue UV light and swept it over the red spots...

"I'm not seeing anything," Uni observed.

"M-me neither," Rei agreed.

"No reaction," the technician confirmed. "Looks like these red spots are just paint or something."

*Red Spots added to the Court Record.*

"Aw man," sighed Uni as the lights came back on, removing her shades. "Guess this was a dead end, huh?"

"Guess so," sighed Rei as she put her normal glasses back on.

"Sorry about that," Detective Thomas shrugged. "We'll keep checking, though. Gotta be thorough, after all."

"As you should, Detective," A voice spoke up from behind Rei and Uni, causing the two to jump. Turning, they saw none other then Lastation's Oracle standing there.

"Kei! Don't scare us like that!" the CPU Candidate admonished.

"Y-you should have kn-knocked or something!" Rei agreed.

"...My apologies. However, I have good news." the Oracle stated.

"Good news?" Uni asked.

Kei nodded. "K-Sha's trial has been set for tomorrow at 10 AM. Everything is in order."

 _"T-tomorrow?!"_ gasped Rei. (How is that GOOD news?!)

At seeing the lawyer's disbelief, Kei elaborated, "I told you we needed to resolve this as quickly as possible. Besides, Ms. Ryghts, this isn't the first time your services have been required on such short notice, correct?"

"W-well, that's true..." Rei conceded. (It's more the rule than the exception with me, though...)

"So who's going to be prosecuting?" Uni inquired.

"I am," Kei replied simply.

"Huh?!" the two gasped in surprise. _"You?!"_

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am indeed certified to prosecute cases in Lastation," Kei explained. "Though I admit it has been some time since I last stood in court..."

(So that's why she wanted to put K-Sha on trial...) Rei mused. (Because she already knew who was going to prosecute- herself!)

"...just so we're clear," Uni opined, "your putting K-Sha on trial has nothing to do with the fact that she tried to kill me and Noire while you were out of town..."

"Of course not," Kei sounded almost insulted. "While I do think Lady Noire could have befriended someone more... stable, that is none of my business. That being said, I will perform my duty as prosecutor to the best of my ability, within reason. Is that acceptable?"

"It is for me," Rei nodded. (Unlike prosecutors who try to win at any cost...)

"Then I will see you in court. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go brush up and ensure my knowledge of law is current. Good day to you both." With that, she turned on her heel and left.

"...Well, that's that, I guess," sighed Uni. "So, Rei, would you mind telling me where you're staying, so I know where to meet you tomorrow?"

"Um, actually," Rei began, "I was j-just c-curling up in a sleeping bag i-in my d-dressing room... b-but I guess th-that wouldn't really work now, since th-this is a c-crime scene..."

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna work..." Uni sighed, before getting an idea. "Wait, I've got it! How about you just crash in my room at the Basilicom? You could just bring your sleeping bag with you..."

"I-I d-don't want t-to impose..." Rei stammered.

"Oh, it's fine," Uni waved off her concern. "I mean, Nepgear's slept with me before... er, not like *that*, but you get the idea..."

"R-right," Rei blushed slightly. "W-well, as l-long as Lady Noire's all right with it..."

 _September 16_

 _Lastation Basilicom_

"I'm home, Noire!" Uni called as she and Rei walked in. Sure enough, Noire herself soon walked into the room, a slightly miffed expression on her face.

"Hello, Uni... and Rei." The CPU greeted. "Kei already called me and told me the gist of what happened."

"So you know why I brought Rei here," Uni guessed.

"I-I promise I'll b-behave myself," the former goddess volunteered...

"I don't want you to promise to behave yourself," Noire shot back. "I want you to promise you'll get K-Sha cleared of this ridiculous murder charge!"

"Um, it's actually just a manslaughter charge, sis..." Uni pointed out.

"Tit for tat! It's all the same thing as far as the public's concerned!" The black-haired CPU retorted. "Either way, if she gets convicted, I'll likely never see her again! I don't need my nation's citizens losing faith in me because I associate with a convicted killer, got it?!"

"Meep!" Rei squeaked, bowing her head and sweating profusely.

Seeing the lawyer in such a distressed taste caused Noire's expression to soften slightly. "...Look, it's just that, K-Sha's the only- I mean, *one* of the only real friends I have right now. I'm just worried about her, that's all."

"You're not the only one who's worried, Noire," Uni spoke up again. "Me and S-Sha are worried for her too... and I'm sure the same would go for C-Sha and B-Sha if they were here..."

"I guess you're right," Noire sighed. "Just... promise me you'll do your best for K-Sha in court tomorrow, OK?"

"O-of course! I always do my best for my clients!" Rei insisted.

"And I'll do my best to help!" Uni concurred. "After all, K-Sha's my friend too!"

"All right then," Noire nodded. "I'm counting on the both of you! So don't mess it up!"

With that, everyone retired for the night. But what would happen in court tomorrow?

*To be continued...*

Phew, that was a slog to write... Read and review!


	3. Trial, Day 1 (Part 1)

Once again, splitting a chapter into two parts to get it out faster...

Draen- Yeah, Kei as a prosecutor just works so perfectly in my eyes...

GX-Nepgear- If you're referring to her transformation in 'The Mech Suit's Turnabout', Rei is still correct, as she wasn't 'on-the-clock' at the time she did that...

Your Everyday NEET/Author Candidate-James Scott- The reason for real bullets being used will be explained in the second part of this chapter...

ROCuevas- So, you've got a account too, huh? ;) Nice to see you here.

decode9- Trust me, we haven't seen the last of Razzie Porter...

And now... ON WITH THE SHOW!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

Trial- Day 1 (Part 1)

Court Record:

-Crime Scene Photos

-Broken Stage Light

-Piece of Cloth

-Red Spots

 _September 17, 9:44 AM_

 _Lastation City District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

Uni was somewhat fidgety as she and Rei waited for K-Sha to be escorted from her cell to the lobby. Soon the Gold Third member arrived, escorted by a guard, S-Sha also accompanying her.

"G-good morning!" Rei tried to sound cheerful as K-Sha's handcuffs were unlocked.

"Hi, K-Sha, S-Sha," Uni acknowledged. "I hope it wasn't too rough for you in jail, K-Sha..."

"I'm fine," K-Sha answered. "I've survived in worse conditions than that, after all..."

"So... d-did you come t-to watch the t-trial today?" Rei asked S-Sha.

"That's right," S-Sha nodded. "I called B-Sha and C-Sha and told them what happened. They were both distraught, especially B-Sha... but they were unable to come to court today, due to prior obligations."

"Well, this trial did kind of happen on short notice..." Uni pointed out. "By the way, where's that Tori kid?"

"He wasn't interested," S-Sha shrugged. "He seemed convinced that K-Sha was guilty, though he didn't say it outright..."

"Guess we'll just have to prove him wrong then," Uni asserted. "Right, Rei?"

"R-right!" the lawyer nodded.

"...You don't sound very confident," S-Sha observed.

"She always sounds like that when she's not in goddess form, though," K-Sha pointed out.

"Is that so?" the white-haired woman muttered. "By the way, I heard the Oracle herself is prosecuting?"

"R-really?!" K-Sha gasped, looking over at Rei and Uni.

"Well, you know Kei," Uni shrugged. "Always trying to be as efficient as possible..."

"Miss Attorney!" the bailiff called. "Court is about to commence! Please bring the defendant with you and take your place at the bench!"

"Guess that's our cue," the twin-tailed goddess muttered. "You ready for this, Rei?"

"A-as I'll ever be," the lawyer nodded nervously.

"I will be watching from the gallery," S-Sha stated. "K-Sha, Ms. Ryghts... good luck." With that, she turned and walked out.

"OK then," K-Sha took a deep breath to calm herself. "Mission start!"

 _September 17, 10:00 AM_

 _Lastation City District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

"Order! Order!" The judge banged his gavel to quiet the courtroom. "This court will come to order! The trial of K-Sha of Gold Third will now commence."

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Rei stated solemnly.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Kei Jinguji concurred.

The judge, an older man with black hair, black eyes, gray mustache and beard, neatly trimmed, blinked as he peered through thick-rimmed spectacles. "Oracle Jinguji? You're leading the prosecution today?"

"That I am," Kei nodded. "I know it's been a while, but given the circumstances, mainly the fact that I am already familiar with the facts of the case, led to my decision to stand in court today."

"I see," the judge nodded in comprehension. "That's just so like you, Oracle..." He then looked over at the defense's bench, before doing a double-take. "Please tell me that's not Rei Ryghts I'm seeing leading the defense..."

"Meep!" Rei squeaked as the crowd started to murmur. (I should have seen this coming...)

"So what if she is?" Uni spoke up defiantly. "Both Noire and I are perfectly fine with this, so deal with it, Your Honor!"

"CPU Candidate Uni?!" the judge blinked in surprise. "You're assisting this woman?!"

"Th-that's right," the goddess's voice wavered slightly. "K-Sha's a good friend of mine, after all!"

"It shouldn't matter who the defense attorney is anyway," Kei spoke up. "After all, you're supposed to be IMPARTIAL, aren't you, Your Honor?"

The judge visibly recoiled at this. "W-well, that's... er, *ahem* Y-yes, of course you're right, Miss Jinguji..." He then banged his gavel once, to quiet the gallery. "It's just, I happened to be vacationing in Planeptune when she caused that ruckus..."

"I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry!" Rei reflexively apologized. "I d-don't even remember d-doing that anyway...!"

"Yes, I know," the judge acknowledged. "You were found not guilty by reason of insanity, if I recall..."

"Which means she deserves the benefit of the doubt, right Your Honor?!" Uni insisted, slapping one hand on the bench for emphasis.

The judge nodded twice at this. "Y-yes, of course... that being said, I won't tolerate any misbehavior from you in my courtroom. Is that understood, Ms. Ryghts?!"

"Y-yes, Your Honor!" Rei agreed. "I p-promise, I d-do my l-lawyering b-by the book!"

"Good." The judge banged his gavel. "Now then, if you would present your opening statement, Oracle..."

"*Ahem*," Kei cleared her throat loudly in disapproval.

"I-is something wrong, Oracle?" the older man asked.

"I would prefer that you use the proper title when addressing me, Your Honor," Kei stated. "I am the prosecutor for this case, and you will refer to me as such."

The judge recoiled again. "O-oh, right, of course, Oracle... I mean, Prosecutor Jinguji..."

"Wow, Kei sure has the judge whipped, huh?" Uni muttered to Rei.

"S-she sure does," the lawyer agreed. (Though in this case, that might actually be a *good* thing...)

The judge then cleared his throat. "Anyway, Prosecutor Jinguji, your opening statement, if you please."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Kei nodded, before beginning, "The incident occurred yesterday on September 16th at Lastation City Production Studios, just before 2 PM. Director Steven Iceberg and his crew were wrapping up shooting a scene for his latest movie, when a stage light fell and crashed on the studio floor. Thankfully no one was injured, however that incident led to the discovery of the dead body of Reggie Wright, a stage light technician and close acquaintance of the director. It appeared that he had been shot dead while adjusting the lights above where the scene was being filmed. And it just so happens that the defendant fired a machine gun towards the ceiling during filming... at precisely the spot where the body was discovered!"

The crowd began murmuring at this, until the judge banged his gavel. "But, if what you say is true, Oracle- *ahem* Prosecutor, then wouldn't this just be a tragic accident? Why bring this case to trial?"

"Two reasons," Kei answered. "First, the director disputes the order of events. He is adamant that Mr. Wright would not be stupid enough to put himself in such a dangerous position to begin with. The second reason," she continued, "is that a yellow journalist by the name of Razzie Porter managed to gain access to the crime scene, and threatened to insinuate a scandal due to Mr. Wright's death. Thus, I decided to bring this case to trial in order to pre-empt him."

"Razzie Porter... I know that name," the judge muttered in disgust. "He forced one of my fellow judges to retire from the bench early, on nothing but hearsay and circumstantial evidence!"

"It's fine, Your Honor," Uni cut in. "That guy ran like a chicken with his head cut off when he realized that Rei here was really upset with him!"

"Oh my!" the judge's eyes went wide. "I likely would have done the same thing, if I were in his shoes..."

(You're not exactly helping my standing with the judge here, Uni!) Rei thought to herself, sweating slightly.

The judge then banged his gavel. "Anyway, Prosecutor Jinguji, I believe it's time you called your first witness..."

"Very well," Kei nodded. "The prosecution calls Detective Harold Thomas to the stand!"

The detective looked much the same as yesterday, though he'd put on a formal tie for his court appearance.

"State your full name and occupation for the record," Kei ordered.

"M-my full name?" The large man stammered. "Do I have to...?" His only response was an insistent glare from the Lastation Oracle. "OK, OK... My name is... Harold Dick Thomas. I'm the detective leading the investigation..."

"No wonder he didn't want to give his full name," Uni muttered. "I can already see the pun..."

"Detective Thomas. Please testify about the results of your investigation," Kei stated.

"Yes, sir!" Thomas answered. "So, if everyone could take a look at the diagram here..." He held up a large drawing. "This is a diagram of the stage where the shooting took place. The defendant was standing close to the center when she pointed her machine gun up and fired a short burst, in accordance with the script. And right above, up in the rafters, is where the victim's body was found. Mr. Wright had three bullets lodged in his chest, the center one was the fatal shot, though the other two probably didn't help..."

*Crime Scene Diagram added to the Court Record.*

"I assume you have the autopsy report, then?" Kei inquired.

"Yes, ma'am! Right here!" Thomas exclaimed, holding up some papers. "We included the ballistics test along with it... the bullets found in Mr. Wright's chest were definitely from the gun used by the defendant in the scene filming."

"They were?!" gasped Uni. The crowd began mumbling and muttering, until the judge banged his gavel.

(Par for the course for me...) Rei sighed inwardly.

*Autopsy Report added to the Court Record.*

"So you have the weapon in question, detective?" the Oracle asked.

"Yep!" Detective Thomas lifted up the gun in question, wrapped in plastic. "It's one of a pair that was used by the defendant for the filming... But of course, even identical guns have different rifling patterns..."

"Could we have a little more info on the gun in question? ...unless you'd like to enlighten us, Lady Uni, seeing as you're the firearms expert here..." Kei suggested.

"Uh, s-sure!" the goddess nodded. "It's a .30-caliber automatic machine gun that fires continuously when you hold the trigger down. However, this particular model, if you only pull the trigger briefly, will simply fire a short, three-round burst. I personally recommended it to K-Sha so she wouldn't waste so much ammo during filming..."

*.30-caliber Machine Gun added to the Court Record.*

"I see," the judge nodded. "But why not use blanks instead of real bullets?"

"That was the director's idea," Uni shrugged. "You'd have to ask him, though he did ask me to help set up the stage so no-one was shot by accident..." She then bowed her head in shame. "Never thought about the ceiling, though..."

"OBJECTION!" Rei cut in. "Uni, there was no way you could have known about that...!"

Kei just sighed and put a finger to her forehead. "Objecting to your own partner, Ms. Ryghts? Really?"

"I-I'm just saying she sh-shouldn't beat herself up t-too much..." the lawyer protested.

"This from the woman who constantly beats herself up over every little thing..." the Oracle shook her head.

(Ouch! That was low, Jinguji!) Rei winced to herself.

The judge then banged his gavel. "Alright, ladies, if we could move on, please... Detective Thomas, did your investigation turn up anything else?"

"Well, we looked around the whole studio for blood spatter, at Lady Uni's request..." Thomas muttered, one hand to his bearded chin. "But other than a false alarm, we didn't find anything of the sort. So the only conclusion we can draw is that Mr. Weight was killed right where his body was found, during the filming of the movie scene..."

"OBJECTION!" declared Rei. "Unfortunately for you, Detective, I have evidence that disputes your theory!"

"What?! You do?!" Thomas gasped, eyes wide.

"You do?!" cried the judge.

"Yes, I do," Rei nodded. "I'd like to call your attention to this scrap of cloth found near the body. If you compare it to the crime scene photo, you'll find it matches perfectly with this tear in the victim's shirt..."

"And just what is that supposed to prove?" Kei challenged. "Clearly the victim just tore his shirt when he was getting into position..."

The former goddess just shook her head. "I'm sorry, prosecutor, but I'm afraid that's not very plausible. The piece of cloth is located quite low on the rafters, which means it'd be a stretch to believe that Mr. Wright simply got his shirt caught. And even if he did, wouldn't he simply stop and dislodge his shirt, instead of allowing it to tear?"

"Oh my! That's a good point!" exclaimed the judge.

"So then," Rei continued, "Wouldn't it be far more believable that this tear happened... because Mr. Wright was *dragged* across the rafters?"

"Dragged?" Kei raised an eyebrow.

"But, why would Mr. Wright let someone drag him across the rafters?" Detective Thomas muttered in confusion.

"Simple, Detective," Rei declared, pointing her finger. "Because Mr. Wright was _already dead!"_

 _"What?!"_ Thomas cried in shock. The crowd began chattering in confusion...

"...Interesting. Continue, Ms. Ryghts," Kei deferred.

Rei nodded. "The defense's theory is this: Reggie Wright was shot dead by K-Sha's gun before her scene was filmed, then his corpse was quickly moved into position after the shoot was completed! The haste with which the body was moved explains the tear in his shirt! And may I add," Rei slammed her fists on the bench, "If Mr. Wright had really been shot dead when K-Sha fired into the rafters, wouldn't the blood from his wound have dripped down to the stage?!"

"...!" The Oracle's eyes went wide as she tensed up.

"Oh noooo!" cried Thomas, clutching his hair. "I didn't even think of that!"

"Order! Order!" The judge banged his gavel several times to quiet the gallery. "Well, Ms. Ryghts, I must say I'm impressed... with just one scrap of cloth, you've completely turned this case on its head!"

"OBJECTION!" Kei interjected. "Your Honor, you've forgotten one very important fact!"

"And what would that be, Prosecutor Jinguji?" The judge asked.

"The fact that Detective Thomas and his investigative team already searched the entire studio and found no blood spatter anywhere!" the Oracle pointed out.

"Oh, right..." the older man muttered. "How do you respond to that, defense?"

"Well, who said that Mr. Wright was killed in the studio?" Rei responded. "The possibility still exists that the victim was killed in one of the other studios, or in one of dressing rooms, or anywhere else in the building, for that matter! Did that possibility ever occur to you, detective?!"

"Uh, well..." Thomas stammered.

"In fact, may I remind the court," Rei continued, "that the only reason Detective Thomas searched the studio in the first place was specifically because Uni herself requested it!" She then slammed her fists on the bench. "Detective Thomas, you're a sham! As soon as you heard about K-Sha using a gun in her scene shoot, you had already made up your mind that she was the guilty party! You let your personal bias influence your investigation, _you pathetic worm!"_

"AAAAGGHH!" Detective Thomas cried, clutching his head in his hands. "I'm sooooooorryyyy!" The crowd started chattering again.

"Order! Order in the court!" yelled the judge as he banged his gavel several times.

"...I'm disappointed in you, Detective Thomas." Kei shook her head. "I'm afraid I have to concur with the defense, at least as far as your bias is concerned. I'll be sure to make a note of this for when your next salary assessment comes about."

"Auuugghh! Not a pay cut! Anything but that!" Harold Thomas pleaded.

"Step down, detective. You've done enough for one day," the Oracle stated bluntly, causing the bearded man to hang his head and slowly walk off in shame.

"Geez, I almost feel sorry for him now," Uni sighed. "Kei sure doesn't pull her punches when it comes to incompetence..."

"Well, he b-brought it on himself," Rei shrugged.

The judge then banged his gavel once more. "Well, so far, the defense seems to have made a compelling case... that Mr. Wright was at least not killed where his body was found."

"The question is, if that's the case, then where was he killed?" Kei Jinguji pointed out. "Would the defense care to make any suggestions?"

"I'm, um, s-still working on th-that..." Rei grunted, tapping her index fingers together...

 **"HOLD IT!"** a loud male voice called out, which caused everyone to turn their attention towards the courtroom doors...

A golden suit of futuristic armor stood there, making a silly pose. "When the sword of evil swings down, the one and only _Titanium Man_ is there to stop it with his indestructible armor!"

"T-Titanium Man?!" the judge gasped in confusion.

Kei was not amused. "...Mr. Downer, do you have something you wish to say to the court?"

The man in robot suit faltered, before removing his helmet, a sheepish look on his face. "I'm guessing you didn't like that entrance? Guess I gotta work on the delivery, huh?"

Immediately the gallery erupted into excited chatter. "Oh my goddess! Is that who I think it is?!" "It is! It's Tony Downer in the flesh!" "Oh wow! He looks even dreamier in person!" "Eeeek! He just looked at me! I think I'm going to die!"

"Order! ORDER! Order in the court, I say!" The judge yelled as he banged his gavel repeatedly, to no avail.

 _ **"QUIET!"**_ Uni screamed as loud as she could. That did the trick, the crowd quieting down, apparently not wishing to provoke their CPU Candidate any further. The goddess then gestured to Rei, rubbing her suddenly-sore throat.

"Um, right," Rei shook her head to dissipate the ringing from Uni screaming practically in her ear. "*Ahem* Mr. Downer, are you here to testify, or just make a fool of yourself?!"

"Um, well, you see..." Downer stammered. "I think... I think I might've witnessed the moment of the murder!"

"WHAT?!" cried the judge.

"WHAT?!" Rei yelled as well. Uni looked surprised as well, as the crowd started murmuring in confusion.

Even Kei looked shocked. "Your Honor, may I request a short recess in order to confer with Mr. Downer on what he witnessed?"

"Y-yes, I think that would be prudent," the judge agreed. "We will take a ten minute recess in order for the prosecution to properly prepare the witness, and for Lady Uni to regain her voice. Court is adjourned!"

To be continued...


	4. Trial, Day 1 (Part 2)

Finally got the rest of the chapter done...

decode9- Trouble will indeed hit the fan this chapter...

Draen- 'What _'gas'_ to say this man'?! Methinks you need to take some Gas-X, buddy... :P

Author Candidate-James Scott- Hopefully this'll teach Harold Thomas to do his job next time...

ROCuevas- Thank you very much.

GX-Nepgear- Maybe Uni should call in a favor from Nepgear... XD

And now... ON WITH THE SHOW!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

Trial- Day 1 (Part 2)

Court Record:

-Crime Scene Photos

-Broken Stage Light

-Piece of Cloth

-Red Spots

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Autopsy Report

-.30-caliber Machine Gun

 _September 17, 10:38 AM_

 _Lastation City District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

"W-well, I c-can safely I d-didn't see that c-coming..." Rei muttered as she stood in the lobby with Uni and K-Sha.

"Me neither..." Uni managed to rasp out.

"I don't get it, though... what could have Mr. Downer have possibly seen?" K-Sha wondered.

"W-well, he was hanging above the s-stage d-during your shot... m-maybe he saw Reggie Wright g-get shot?" Rei guessed.

"But I'm certain he was looking down at me the entire time!" K-Sha insisted. "He's a professional, after all... he wouldn't get distracted that easily!"

Uni shrugged. "Guess we'll... find out..."

"I guess," K-Sha shrugged. "But from now on, I think you should leave the yelling to Miss Rei..."

"M-maybe you should get a d-drink of water b-before we reconvene, Uni..." Rei suggested. The goddess just silently nodded in response, before running out the door...

 _September 17, 10:48 AM_

 _Lastation City District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

The judge banged his gavel to quiet the crowd. "Court is now back in session. Prosecutor Jinguji, is the witness prepared to testify?"

"...Yes, Your Honor." Kei seemed somewhat hesitant. "He seems to be quite insistent on what he saw... The prosecution calls Tony Downer to the stand!" The blond man walked up to the witness stand, still clad in his golden armor. "Your full name and occupation for the record, please."

"Anthony Downer III," the witness stated. "I'm an actor, currently playing the role of Titanium Man for the upcoming 'Revengers' film. At least, I hope it's still upcoming..."

"I assure you, regardless of the outcome of this trial, I shall do all in my power to ensure this movie goes forward," the Oracle stated in her usual monotone. "Far too much money has been invested in this project to simply back out now..."

(I guess technically, the movie could still be finished without K-Sha, seeing as she only has a minor role...) Rei mused.

"I know she's the prosecutor, but I wish Kei wouldn't act so unconcerned with K-Sha's fate..." Uni whispered, the lawyer nodding in agreement.

"Well, for now, let us focus on the trial at hand," said the judge. "Mr. Downer, your testimony please... and try to remember that this is a courtroom, not a movie set."

"R-right, of course..." Tony assented. "So... it was about when we were just getting started for the day... I was reading over my script when I heard yelling behind the door. So I opened it slightly... and that's when I saw it! Miss K-Sha, holding a machine gun, before pulling the trigger and plugging the guy in front of her! I didn't get a good look at his face, but now that I think about it, he was kinda dressed like Mr. Wright, and I'm certain he was the same height...!"

Not wanting to strain her voice again, Uni simply slammed the bench twice with her hand to get Downer's attention. "How do you know that K-Sha wasn't just practicing on a mannequin or something?"

"That's what I thought at first..." Downer conceded. "But it's what she said right after that bothered me... She was all like, 'that's what you get for insulting Noire!', or something along those lines..."

"I-insulting Noire...?" Uni grunted.

"Miss K-Sha," Kei addressed the defendant directly. "Isn't it true that, the day before the incident, you got in an argument with Mr. Wright concerning Lady Noire?"

"H-huh?" gasped K-Sha. "Oh, that? It wasn't anything that serious... it's just, Mr. Wright insinuated that Noire wanted to take Neptune behind closed doors and do... um... unmentionable things to her! Of course I got offended! We all know Noire's nothing like that! Right, Uni?"

"R-right, of course!" the twin-tailed goddess nodded in agreement.

"Regardless..." Kei Jinguji cut in, "Isn't it true that you got upset to the point where you pulled your gun on Mr. Wright?"

"Eeeeeep!" K-Sha squeaked, going pale. "B-but I only did that to scare him! I wasn't going to pull the trigger!"

"Not right then and there, maybe, with everyone watching," Kei suggested. "But your intense... infatuation with Lady Noire suggests that you wouldn't just let go of such an insult to her that easily..." She then slapped her hand on the bench. "So you just bided your time, waiting for the opportunity where you could discreetly avenge Lady Noire's honor, and kill Mr. Wright apparently unobserved!"

 _"Noooooooooo!"_ wailed the ex-yandere, causing the gallery to erupt into chatter.

"Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel to quiet everyone. "Well, now... it seems that the defendant actually had a compelling motive to kill the victim!"

"Which would make it not manslaughter, but rather, _first-degree murder,_ would it not, Your Honor?" Kei stated.

 _"AAAAAAHHHH!"_ cried Rei in shock.

"Nooooooo!" Uni wailed in a similar manner to K-Sha. The crowd started murmuring again, though the judge quickly silenced them with his gavel.

"Oh, man..." Tony Downer muttered. "I didn't wanna believe it... She seemed like such a nice girl, too..."

Uni then slammed her hand on the bench again. "I *don't* believe it! I know that K-Sha's not the trigger-happy yandere she used to be! And Rei and I will prove it, with your cross-examination! Right, Rei?!"

"Huh...? O-oh, right! Yes, of c-course!" The horned lawyer nodded vigorously.

"Very well, then," stated the judge. "Ms. Ryghts, you may begin your cross-examination of Mr. Downer."

"Y-yes, Your Honor!" Rei assented, before clearing her throat. "Mr. Downer... surely it couldn't be just because of K-Sha's words that you thought it was a murder! After all, how do you know she wasn't just getting herself in the right mood for her role?"

"B-but I did see something else!" Downer insisted. "I went back a little later, and I saw what appeared to be blood on the curtains!"

"Blood?!" gasped the judge.

"Y-yeah! Little red spots all over the lower curtains!" the actor asserted. "And when I heard that Mr. Wright wasn't killed where his body was found, that's when it all came together!"

"So that's why he didn't come forward until now..." Uni muttered.

(Spots over the curtains? I wonder...) Rei pondered. "Mr. Downer, would you mind telling us exactly where you saw this supposed murder take place?"

Downer blinked, before scratching his head in confusion. "Um, let me think about that, for a moment... Oh! I remember now! I think it was in that storage room near the back!"

Rei's eyes went wide at this, before she bowed her head. Suddenly, a sinister chuckle admitted from her, which soon progressed into outright diabolical laughter.

"Oh no!" cried the judge. "Someone call security! Rei Ryghts is going berserk again!"

The former goddess quickly cut herself off. "Gkkk... heh heh heh... No, Your Honor, I'm fine. It's just, it's been a while since I've had a witness whose testimony was so easily discredited!"

"D-discredited?!" gasped Downer.

"That's right," Rei nodded, still sporting a sinister smirk. "If you had bothered to pay closer attention to the detective's testimony earlier, you'd have heard that he and his team didn't find blood spatter anywhere in the studio... save for one false alarm! TAKE THAT!" She presented the photo of the red spots. "Is this the 'blood spatter' you saw, Downer?!"

"Yeah, that's it!" the actor nodded.

"Well, sucks to be you then," muttered Uni. "Because Detective Thomas already did a luminol test on these spots... and it came back negative!"

"N-negative?!" Downer grunted, sweating. "But... that means..."

"It means these red spots are nothing more then paint stains!" Rei concluded. "Which means the scene you saw in the storage room really was just K-Sha practicing on a mannequin!"

 _"Grraaaaaghhh!"_ cried the actor as his head and arms jerked and spasmed, as if his robot armor was malfunctioning, the gallery once again muttering in confusion...

"Order! Order in the court!" cried the judge as he banged his gavel several times."Mr. Downer, I hope for your sake that you were simply mistaken, and not just trying to garner headlines!"

"O-of course not!" Downer insisted. "But, y'know, now that you mention it... I remember hearing that errand boy talking to the director about accidentally spilling some paint and trying to clean it up, but that he couldn't get it all off the curtains..." He chuckled nervously. "Guess I goofed... sorry about that..."

"Mr. Downer..." Kei heaved a sigh as she put a finger to her forehead. "You may be a good actor, but as far as being a courtroom witness... your performance deserves to be panned."

"Boooooo! Booooooooo!" the gallery chorused.

"Forgive meeeeeee!" Tony Downer yelled, even as he ran out of the courtroom in embarrassment.

"Order! Order! Order in the court!" The judge ordered as he repeatedly banged his gavel. "Miss Jinguji, that was uncalled for! I would advise you not to provoke the gallery any further!"

"My apologies, Your Honor. That wasn't my intent," Kei lamented. "I will endeavor to not let it happen again..."

"The audience probably remembers Downer's previous fall from grace due to drug use," Uni suggested to Rei, who just shrugged in response.

"Still, Prosecutor Jinguji," the judge continued, "for your first day back in court, you aren't doing too well... Two witnesses, both of whom have been completely discredited by the defense!"

"May I remind you that Mr. Downer volunteered himself as a witness," Kei countered. "And under normal circumstances, I never would have allowed him to testify to begin with..."

"Then why did you?" the judge inquired.

"Because of a certain yellow journalist by the name of Razzie Porter," the Oracle pointed out. "I refuse to give that man any ammunition to claim a cover-up of any sort..."

"So you allowed Downer to testify, so you could claim that you've left no stone unturned..." Rei observed.

"Precisely," the platinum-blonde nodded. "However, I had another witness I was about to call, before Mr. Downer interrupted..."

"And who would that be?" the judge asked.

"The prosecution calls Director Iceberg to the stand!" Kei declared without any further ado.

 _"Wh-what?_ The director?!" Rei gasped.

The man in question walked up to the stand, wearing a baseball cap on his head and glasses over his blue eyes, heaving a sigh which caused his long grey-brown beard to ruffle slightly. "Your full name and occupation," Kei instructed.

"Steven Iceberg. Movie director," the director stated bluntly, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"W-why did you call *him* to the stand, Kei?" Uni demanded.

"To testify about the victim's whereabouts and movements before the time his body was discovered," the prosecutor answered. "Mr. Iceberg, if you would care to begin."

"Just a moment," the judge interrupted. "Before we go into that, I'd like to ask the director about why he wanted to use real bullets in the scene to begin with!"

"Wow, I'm surprised he remembered that," Uni muttered.

"Oh, that. Well," Iceberg began, "I wanted to show off how Titanium Man's armor was immune to bullets, and you can't exactly do that with blanks. Of course, we tested the the armor on a mannequin first, before Mr. Downer wore it in the shoot. As I said to the detective yesterday, we took every conceivable precaution..."

"But as Lady Uni herself said earlier, the ceiling wasn't exactly conceivable, was it?" Kei finished. "Anyway, now that we have that cleared up, please tell the court about what you saw before the shoot..."

"Yeah, OK," the director sighed. "The truth is... I saw Reggie just before that scene with K-Sha..."

"Y-you saw him? A-as in 'alive'?" Rei gasped.

"Correct," Kei Jinguji nodded. "Now you see why I didn't want Mr. Downer to testify..." The crowd started murmuring at this.

The judge then banged his gavel. "But, if the victim was seen alive by the director, that would mean..."

"The only time that Mr. Wright could have been killed... would be right when K-Sha fired into the rafters during the scene shooting!" the Oracle declared, slapping a hand on the bench for emphasis.

"Nooooooo!" Uni wailed again.

"HOLD IT!" cried Rei. "Director, I demand a more detailed testimony about the victim's movements prior to the scene shoot!"

"Sure, no problem," Iceberg nodded. "That is, if it's all right with you, Oracle..."

"...The prosecution has no objection," Kei deferred. "It doesn't matter how detailed a testimony Ms. Ryghts requests, for it will still not change the basic facts..."

(That's what you think, Jinguji!) Rei thought to herself. (Even the smallest detail can turn a case on it's head! I did it before with the cloth, and I'll do it again now! Just watch, maggot!)

The judge then banged his gavel. "Very well, then. Director Iceberg, you may begin your testimony about the victim's movements that day."

"Yes, Your Honor," Iceberg assented, before clearing his throat. "I first came in about 6:00 AM, to get things ready. Reggie was already there, leaning up against the heat register. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he'd caught a cold of some sort. He sure didn't sound too well... I offered him a day off, but he refused. 'I can still do my job!' he insisted. And sure enough, the lights were put in position like they were supposed to be. I kept going back to check on him, and he was still by the heat register every time... Up until the shoot with Miss K-Sha."

"Was he in the same position every time?" Kei asked.

"Not exactly," Iceberg shook his head. "Every time I went to see him, his position was different..."

"Which would preclude any argument by the defense that the victim was already dead," the Oracle nodded. "That *was* going to be your argument, wasn't it, Ms. Ryghts?"

"Urk!" (How did she know...?!) Rei freaked.

"That's Kei for you," sighed Uni. "Cool as a cucumber, but sharp as a knife..."

"So, the prosecution is arguing that Mr. Wright was alive, up until the scene shoot with the defendant," The judge mused. "Which would mean..."

"That Mr. Wright was killed when Miss K-Sha fired into the ceiling," Kei finished. "Of course, whether she did it with malicious intent or not is still a mystery..."

"B-but I didn't know he was up there! I swear I didn't!" K-Sha insisted.

"I'm inclined to believe you, Miss K-Sha," Iceberg cut in. "Even I didn't know Reggie was up there... and I still stand by my assertion that he would have gotten off the rafters by the time shooting commenced... even if he *was* sick!"

"OBJECTION!" declared Kei. "In this courtroom, we deal in _facts,_ Mr. Iceberg, not assumptions!"

"OBJECTION!" Rei retorted. "Mr. Iceberg and Mr. Wright were well-acquainted with each other, friends through thick and thin! So Director Iceberg would have at least some idea about what Mr. Wright would do in certain situations!"

"Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Iceberg's assertion about the victim's actions will be noted in the record. But for now, how about you cross-examine the witness's statements, Ms. Ryghts, not the prosecution's!"

"Y-yes, Your Honor," Rei bowed her head.

"I don't like doing this to the director," Uni muttered, "but we gotta find some way to break his testimony! Otherwise, K-Sha's as good as convicted!"

"I-I know, I know," the lawyer nodded. Taking a breath to clear her mind, she began, "Mr. Iceberg... You said Mr. Wright didn't sound too well. Did you ever, like, check his forehead or anything?"

"Yeah, about noon, I did," Iceberg nodded. "He did seem a little cold... and I when I tried to talk to him, he only mumbled... I got the feeling he was a little uncomfortable with me being so close."

"But how did he look?" Rei pressed. "Did he have a red or runny nose or anything like that?"

"Not that I could tell..." the director admitted. "But he said it was more of a cold cold, than a nose cold... I was inclined to believe him, seeing as he was wearing a red vest over his normal clothes..."

(Wait... a red vest?) "HOLD IT!" the horned lawyer said aloud. "Take a look at these crime scene photos, Director! Do you see a red vest anywhere?!"

"Oh my!" gasped the judge. "You're right, Ryghts! The only red thing in these photos is the victim's blood! Although the rest of the victim's clothes seem remarkably clean..." The crowd began to mutter in confusion...

Rei then slammed her fists on the bench. "So, Director, would you mind telling me what happened to this red vest the victim was supposedly wearing?!"

"...It's at the laundromat," Iceberg stated simply.

"Th-the laundromat?"

"Yeah, I found it laying next to the stage right after that shoot," the bearded man explained. "My errand boy offered to take it to the laundromat to get it washed, so..." He heaved a sigh. "I felt kinda bad for the kid, since Reggie had already gone to the laundromat last night, to wash the costumes from that day's shooting..."

"Last night?" Uni pondered. "But I thought that laundromat closed early..."

"The owner's a friend of a friend," Iceberg pointed out. "He gave me the key to use the laundromat after hours, so we wouldn't get swamped by raving fans or reporters... But yeah, sorry, Rei... if there *was* any evidence on that vest, it's been washed clean away..."

"Too bad for you, Ms. Ryghts," Kei shook her head. "Unfortunately, your case-breaking contradiction has turned out to be a dud..."

"Urk!" the lawyer grunted, sweating slightly.

The judge shook his head. "It would seem the defense has been unable to find any holes in Mr. Iceberg's testimony. Which would mean that the prosecution's assertion, that Mr. Wright was killed when the defendant fired into the ceiling during the scene shoot, is the correct version of events..."

"No! That can't be right!" Uni insisted. "Do something, Rei!"

"Ugh..." (Something does seem suspicious about Mr. Wright's actions, but...)

"Well then, I believe it's time to pronounce my verdict," the judge declared, banging his gavel. "This court finds the defendant..."

 _"HOLD IT!"_ cried Rei. "J-just a minute, Your Honor! I'm n-not done yet!"

"Ms. Ryghts, enough," the judge shook his head again. "The witness's testimony is ironclad. Any further deliberations would be a waste of this court's time..."

"Now, now, Your Honor," Kei Jinguji suddenly cut in. "Why so hasty to hand down your verdict? Or have you forgotten about a certain yellow journalist... who will take any opportunity he can to claim a cover-up?"

"J-just what are you insinuating, Prosecutor Jinguji?!" The judge grunted, looking a bit flustered.

"Nothing, Your Honor," the Oracle responded. "But in the interest of fairness, why not give the defense one last chance?"

The older man heaved a sigh. "Miss Jinguji, as far as I'm concerned, you've already proven your case. But, if you insist, I'll give the defense one last chance to counter-argue. Just be advised, Ms. Ryghts, you had better not entertain any wild fantasies that belong in a movie rather than the courtroom!"

"N-no sir!" Rei insisted. "I j-just need a l-little time..."

"...very well," the judge agreed. "But my patience is not infinite. I can tell when someone's just stalling for time, after all..."

"I understand, Your Honor," the lawyer acknowledged. (If I'm ever going to get K-Sha off the hook... I need to figure out when and where Mr. Wright was actually killed!) With that, Rei closed her eyes and went into deep thought...

(OK, let's start with when the body was discovered, and work backwards. Reggie Wright was found shot dead in the light fixtures above where K-Sha's scene was being shot. But a piece of his shirt being torn off a few feet away suggests the body was moved. Which means the victim was likely killed somewhere else. So, first question: _Where was Mr. Wright seen before his dead body was discovered?_

 _*Standing by the heat register*_

(Right. The director, Steve Iceberg, testified that he'd seen Mr. Wright standing by the heat register keeping warm, though it wasn't really cold at all in the studio that day. _Is there any discrepancy between Mr. Iceberg's testimony and how the body was found?)_

 _*The victim was wearing a red vest*_

(Mr. Iceberg testified that he saw Reggie wearing a red vest when he was sitting by the heater. But it was nowhere to be found when the body was discovered. _So what was the purpose of the red vest?)_

 _*To hide the bullet wound*_

(Wait, what if Mr. Wright was already dead when the director saw him, and the vest was just hiding the fatal injury? True, Mr. Iceberg heard him talking, but maybe that was the real killer faking his voice. But if that's the case... _why was the body propped next to the heat register?)_

 _*To keep the body warm*_

(Of course! The body was being kept warm in order to throw off the real time of death! Which means... Mr. Wright must have been shot dead long before his death was discovered. _So when was Mr. Wright actually killed?)_

 _*The night before*_

 _(And just where was the victim supposed to be last night?)_

 _*Washing costumes at the laundromat!*_

 **REGGIE WRIGHT WAS KILLED AT THE LAUNDROMAT!**

(That's it!) thought Rei, (That explains why the victim's clothing was so clean! It was because after killing the victim, the murderer washed his clothes right there, to get get rid of most of the blood! Of course!) Her eyes opened, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Did you figure it out?" Uni asked in near desperation.

"I have," Rei nodded. Director Iceberg! When you talked with Mr. Wright at the heat register... you said his position changed every time you went back to check on him. But did you ever actually see him move? Did he nod or gesture with his hands?"

"Uh... no, actually, now that I think about it..." the director muttered in confusion.

"Just as I thought," Rei asserted. "Mr. Iceberg, I really hate to break this to you, but... I'm afraid you were talking to a dead corpse."

"W-w-what?!" Iceberg gasped.

"OBJECTION!" Kei declared. "Just what are you basing this on, Ms. Ryghts?"

"I call your attention back to the red vest from earlier," Rei answered. "Contrary to what the director thought, the vest wasn't being used to just to keep the body warm... it was also used to cover up the fatal bullet wound in Mr. Wright's chest!"

"To cover up the wound?!" gasped the judge.

"HOLD IT! What did you mean just now, saying the vest wasn't 'just' used to keep the body warm?" Kei asked.

"That's why the body was propped next to the heat register!" the horned lawyer asserted. "To throw off the medical examiner's determination of the time of death! It was all part of the killer's plan to make us all believe that Reggie Wright was alive until the scene with K-Sha! When in fact, Mr. Wright was already long dead before then!"

"Is that so?" said Kei, not looking the least bit perturbed. "Then tell us, when and where was the victim killed?"

"The director already told us!" Rei answered. "He said that Mr. Wright went to the nearby laundromat last night, to wash the costumes! _That's_ when he was killed!"

"The laundromat?!" The judge blinked in surprise, causing the gallery to murmur in confusion...

"OBJECTION!" Kei retorted. "If the victim had been killed at the laundromat, then how did the lights get put in their proper position, without Mr. Wright to move them?"

"Th-the real killer moved the lights himself!" Rei shot back. "And I have circumstantial evidence to back up my assertion!"

"And what evidence would that be?" inquired the judge.

"TAKE THAT!" Rei declared, presenting the broken stage light. "My evidence is this stage light that fell at the time the body was discovered!"

"OBJECTION! Come now, Ms. Ryghts," the Oracle shook her head, "That light was knocked down by Dogoo Man by accident! He even admitted as much himself!"

"OBJECTION!" the former goddess retorted. "Sure, Dogoo Man may be stronger than your average... uh, Dogoo, or your average human, for that matter... but what if the light wasn't knocked down because of his clumsiness... but because it was hung incorrectly?!"

"Incorrectly?" the judge blinked.

"Exactly," Rei nodded. "Which is a mistake an experienced light technician like the victim would _never_ have made!"

Kei Jinguji began to tense up slightly. "Even *if* what you say is true about the stage lights, if the victim had really met his end at the laundromat, don't you think somebody would have noticed blood left behind by the victim by now?!"

"Uhhh..." Rei sweat-dropped. (Crap, didn't think about it that far...)

"Um, actually," Director Iceberg interrupted, "There is one place where he could have been killed..."

"Wh-what?!" gasped Kei, beads of sweat now starting to form on her brow.

"And where would that be?" the judge inquired.

"There's an old red rug that lays in front of the washers and dryers," Iceberg explained. "If... if Reggie got shot and his body collapsed there, his blood would have blended in with that rug, and no-one would be the wiser..."

 _"Nggoooooh!"_ the Oracle visibly recoiled.

"HAAAAAA-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Rei laughed triumphantly. "Looks like your star witness ended up working in MY favor, Jinguji!"

"Hrrrrrrgggh!" Kei groaned, now hunched over the bench, propped up on one elbow. "It can't be... I've... I've been hoist on my own petard...!"

The crowd went into a tizzy at this. "Look at Oracle Jinguji!" "I've never seen her so flustered before!" "The defense's argument must have really gotten to her!" "Does this mean the defendant is innocent after all?!"

"ORDER! ORDER! Order in the court!" The judge yelled, banging his gavel several times. "Miss Jinguji, I implore you, please pull yourself together!"

"I've gotta second the gallery on this one," Uni said. "Even *I* don't recall seeing Kei all out of whack like that..."

"Your Honor!" Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "I believe we've discovered a new possibility in this case! There is a potential crime scene that has not yet been investigated!" Pointing her finger, she insisted, "This has to be looked into!"

"Hmmm... while I'm reluctant to concur with Rei Ryghts on anything," the judge began, "the defense has made a surprisingly good case for the laundromat being the actual crime scene. This possibility should indeed be investigated thoroughly. Does the prosecution have any objections?"

"N... no, Your Honor," Kei grunted, having managed to straighten up. "I'll have Detective Thomas close down the laundromat and begin investigating at once..."

(We... we did it!) thought Rei, (Somehow, I managed to find another place the crime could have been committed... And with that, K-Sha should be well on her way to a 'not-guilty' verdict!)

"Well then," said the judge, "I suppose we'll adjourn for today..."

 **"HOLD IT!"** a voice suddenly cried out.

"What? Who said that?!" the judge exclaimed.

"I d-didn't say it..." Rei denied.

"Nor did I," said Kei.

"Don't look at me!" exclaimed Iceberg.

Then, the sound of someone slapping the bench was heard. Everyone turned toward the sound...

To see Lastation's CPU Candidate, raising her hand, again rubbing her throat. "It was me," she rasped out.

(Uni?!) thought Rei.

"Bailiff, get Lady Uni some water!" the judge ordered. The bailiff complied, giving the twin-tailed goddess a water bottle, which she took a long pull from.

"You had something you wished to say?" Kei prodded.

Uni nodded as she swallowed. "*gulp*- Yeah, I did... it's just, I wasn't sure of a good time to bring this up... but now that court's about to be adjourned..."

"J-just s-spit it out already, Uni..." Rei groaned.

"...The crime scene photos," Uni clarified, holding up the very pictures in question. "I keep looking at them, and something keeps bothering me about the blood spatter on the victim's chest..."

"The blood spatter?" Kei muttered in slight confusion.

"Yeah," Uni nodded. "It's almost like... someone drew some sort of pattern or symbol in the blood, then tried to wipe it away... I have no idea what it could mean, though..."

"Now that you mention it," Kei began, "I also recall thinking something was suspicious about the pattern of the blood, but I dismissed it as coincidence."

"Well, I happened to dabble in calligraphy back in law school," the judge stated. "May I see the photos? Perhaps I can discern the pattern..."

"Sure thing, Your Honor," Uni agreed, handing the photos to the bailiff, who walked over and handed them to the judge. The robed man then adjusted his glasses as he closely studied the blood pattern, his brow furrowed...

"...Well, Your Honor?" Kei inquired after a few moments.

"Hmmm, well... I can't be 100% certain, but..." the judge straightened up. "It appears to resemble a Japanese Kanji... more specifically, the kanji for the word 'ryuu', or 'dragon' in English."

"D-dragon?" Rei grunted.

 _"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"_ K-Sha cried out. "It... it can't be...! Not him...!"

"Miss K-Sha?!" the judge gasped. "What's the matter?!"

"D-do you know what the symbol means, K-Sha?" Uni asked urgently.

"It's... it's..." the former mercenary swallowed hard. "It's the calling sign... of the Dragon Killer!"

"WHAT?! The _Dragon Killer?!"_ Kei recoiled again.

"The Dragon Killer?!" the judge cried in shock. "You mean that infamous serial murderer that the police have never found?!"

 _"S-serial murderer?!"_ Rei yelled. The crowd began chattering excitedly.

"Yes," K-Sha nodded. "It's him... I'm certain of it! He must have killed Mr. Wright and then tried to frame me!"

*Crime Scene Photos updated in Court Record.*

"F-frame you?!" Uni gasped.

"HOLD IT!" Kei interjected. "Miss K-Sha, why do you believe the Dragon Killer would frame you, of all people?"

"That's simple," the brunette muttered, her voice having dropped several octaves. "I was the one that got away... I was supposed to be one of his victims!"

 **"WHAAAAAAAAT?!"** everyone cried out. The gallery was thrown into such a ruckus, the judge had no choice but to adjourn the court for the day...

*To be continued...*

Bet you weren't expecting that twist the end! :P Read and review!


	5. Investigation, Day 2

Phew... sorry this took so long, but I've been distracted by Breath of the Wild...

*looks over reviews* So, Drean thinks Razzie porter is the killer, but KirbySage18 disagrees, thinking that the Dragon Killer is actually the victim... And Author Heart believes that the Director is the murderer... All I will say is, one of you is _kinda_ on the right track... but I won't say who. *evil laughter*

And now, finally... ON WITH THE SHOW!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

Investigation- Day 2

Court Record:

-Crime Scene Photos

-Broken Stage Light

-Piece of Cloth

-Red Spots

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Autopsy Report

-.30-caliber Machine Gun

 _September 17, 12:22 PM_

 _Lastation Basilicom_

 _Noire's Office_

"The Dragon Killer?!" gasped Noire. "You're kidding me...!"

"Part of me wishes I was, Lady Noire," Kei stated. "But the bloody symbol on the victim's body matches perfectly with his MO..."

"And K-Sha was supposed to be one of his victims?!" The goddess added. "She's lucky to be alive, if that's the case...!"

"W-well, maybe the D-Dragon Killer thought K-Sha was j-just another i-innocent schoolgirl," Rei hypothesized. "Until s-she pulled her g-gun on him, anyway..."

"...Yeah, I could see _that_ happening," Noire agreed. "So you were the one that recognized the symbol, Uni?"

"Um... actually, it was His Honor that figured out the blood pattern was actually a dragon kanji," Uni admitted. "I just thought that something looked strange, but I couldn't put my finger on it..."

"W-well, the fact that the s-symbol was partially w-wiped away p-probably d-didn't help..." Rei pointed out.

"Well, even so, good catch, Uni," Noire complimented her sister. "Good to see that sniper's eye of yours is good for more than just lining up headshots on Ancient Dragons..." Uni couldn't help but blush from her older sister's praise...

"A-anyway," Rei cut in, "c-could someone p-please t-tell me more about th-this Dragon Killer?"

"Of course," Kei nodded. "Though to be honest, we don't know that much more than you do..." She then cleared her throat. "The Dragon Killer is a serial killer whose reign of terror began about three and a half years ago. He started with homeless people, then grew bolder, attacking people inside their homes or apartments. His victims were always marked with a bloody dragon kanji, which was often the only way anyone knew it was his handiwork."

"A-are you saying he l-left n-no evidence b-behind?" Rei inquired incredulously.

"Indeed," Kei nodded solemnly. "It didn't help that he would sometimes leave evidence that pointed to someone else, only for their alibis to check out, or their movements would fail to match up with the Dragon Killer's other victims. It was almost as if he was taunting us... The only definitive evidence we ever got were two partial fingerprints and a single strand of hair. We don't even know if the Dragon Killer is male or female..."

*Dragon Killer's Fingerprints/Hair added to the Court Record.*

"K-Sha referred to him as a male, though," Uni pointed out. "After all, if she survived an attack from that guy, it'd make sense..."

"Perhaps," the Oracle conceded. "Anyway, his killing spree continued for six months, and then stopped abruptly. None of us knew what happened, if he'd gotten imprisoned or killed, or simply bored of killing people..."

"M-maybe K-Sha m-managed t-to shoot him or s-something...?" Rei suggested.

"That could very well be," Kei nodded. "The killings started up again a year later, but at a less frequent pace... but, as before, we couldn't make any headway in our investigation... until now."

"But for the Dragon Killer to have framed K-Sha like this, he had to have known the filming schedule almost by heart," Noire pointed out. "As much as I hate to say this, I'm afraid that means the Dragon Killer is either among the camera crew, or even one of the actors in the film..."

"Well, we can rule out Mr. Downer," said Uni. "Back then, he'd just crashed and burned due to his drug addiction, and he didn't get out of rehab until about a year and a half ago..."

"Indeed, I remember how loudly you wailed when he was arrested for possession," Kei noted.

"Me too," Noire concurred. "You were inconsolable for days..."

"D-did you have to bring *that* up?!" Uni cried, her face reddening.

(Wait... don't tell me *that's* why Uni agreed to stick by me in case I went berserk?!) Rei groaned inwardly.

"Well, putting that aside," Kei said, "our next course of action is clear. Ms. Ryghts, I want you and Lady Uni to visit Miss K-Sha in prison and see what she remembers from her encounter with the Dragon Killer..."

"What about you, Kei?" Uni asked.

"I'm going to the laundromat," the Oracle answered. "After all, I have to ascertain that Detective Thomas is doing his job properly this time..."

"Oh, right," Uni muttered. "I almost forgot, you're the prosecutor for this case..."

"It feels k-kind of weird, though," Rei chuckled nervously, "to be d-discussing the c-case with the p-prosecution so c-casually. I almost f-feel like I'm c-colluding w-with the enemy..."

"Nonsense," Kei Jinguji shook her head. "Though we may be on opposite sides of the courtroom, we have a common goal: to figure out the truth of what happened. Which is how it _should_ be. Though, I can see why you would not think that way, given the inherent unfairness of Lowee's court system..."

(Well, Lastation's court system doesn't seem that different to me...) Rei thought to herself. She didn't vocalize her opinion, however, as they had far more important matters to attend to... (Speaking of which, I don't think I'll need this piece of evidence anymore...)

*Photo of Red Spots discarded.*

"We should probably go touch base with S-Sha while we're at it," Uni then suggested. "Maybe K-Sha can tell us where she's staying..."

"That's probably not a bad idea," Noire agreed. "I wish I could help, but I'm still swamped with paperwork here... so I'll just say good luck, and I hope we can find and nail that Dragon Killer this time!"

"I share your sentiment wholeheartedly, Lady Noire," Kei concurred. "So then, let's be off, everyone..."

 _September 17_

 _Detention Center_

 _Visitor's Room_

(is it just me, or do the walls in this prison look even *darker* than in the other nations?) Rei couldn't help but think to herself as she and Uni waited for K-Sha to be escorted in. (I know Lastation's primary color is black, but still...) Soon, the Gold Third member walked in and sat down on the other side of the bulletproof glass.

"Hi, K-Sha," Uni greeted. "How're you holding up?"

"Like I said, I've survived worse conditions," K-Sha muttered in a low tone. It helps that S-Sha came by earlier and told me that C-Sha and B-Sha were sending their best wishes for me..."

"Th-that's nice," Rei nodded.

"Yeah, and Noire sends her best wishes too!" Uni added. She'd probably be helping out herself if it weren't for her goddess duties..."

"Really~?" K-Sha's eyes lit up at this. "Wow, Noire still believes in me after all this?"

"We *all* do," the CPU Candidate insisted. "You know the only reason Kei put you on trial in the first place was because of that dumb reporter..."

"S-speaking of th-the trial," Rei interjected, "The reason we c-came here w-was t-to ask about wh-what you said a-at the end of p-proceedings yesterday... about the D-Dragon Killer..."

"Right..." K-Sha's voice lowered again. "I figured I'd have to tell you this story sooner or later..."

"Take your time," Uni said. "We understand this can't be easy for you..."

"I know," the mercenary nodded, before taking a deep breath to steel herself. "Well, it was about three years ago... Back then, I was still part of the Order, and I wouldn't meet S-Sha and the rest of Gold Third until about 5-6 months later... Anyway, I was on night patrol, and even though it was pitch-black outside, I knew the area I patrolled by heart. But then, suddenly, someone came up behind me, putting a hand over my mouth and a knife to my neck... And then he whispered in my ear..."

("It'll be over soon. You have the honor of being the Dragon Killer's next victim.")

"Out of instinct my hand went to my waist, pulling out my machine gun, and I quickly pointed it behind me..."

(*ch-click*)

 _("Shit-!")_

(*tatatatatatatatata*)

K-Sha paused for a moment, shaking with fear. "I don't think I'd ever come so close to losing my life... I honestly thought he'd end up slitting my throat anyway, but I only came away with a minor nick. I heard his footsteps running away, so I quickly turned and got my gun in proper firing position... I could just barely make out his silhouette..."

("Stop right there, bastard!")

(*ratatatatata*)

 _("Gaaaaaahhhhhhh-!")_

"I'll never forget that scream he made..."

Uni suddenly interrupted, "Wait, you mean you managed to wing him?!"

"G-guess our th-theory about w-why he stopped k-killing all of a sudden was c-correct..." Rei stipulated.

K-Sha nodded at this. "Yeah... I saw him clutch his left shoulder in pain... but then he disappeared around a corner. I tried to pursue, but by time I got around the corner, he'd vanished into the night..."

"How come you never told anyone about this before?!" Uni inquired.

"I told my superiors in the Order," K-Sha responded. "They ordered me not to tell anyone else about the encounter, mostly because they wanted to catch the guy themselves... but obviously they never did." She then took a deep breath. "Honestly, I'd just tried to put that harrowing experience behind me, and not think about it anymore... guess that's why I did what I did when that documentary came on before my shoot..."

"Oh, so *that's* why you shot out the TV," Uni sweat-dropped.

Rei then spoke up, "K-Sha, I know th-this must b-be hard for y-you, but I have t-to ask... is there a-any other d-details you c-can remember about the Dragon K-Killer? Anything at all w-would be h-helpful..."

The former mercenary closed her eyes in thought. "Well... he had short hair at the time... he was kinda thin, but not skinny-thin... I don't think he was that tall either, from the way he grabbed me..." Her eyes opened. "He was probably about as tall as you, Miss Rei, not counting your horn..."

"Y-you're sure it was a m-man?" Rei pressed.

"I didn't feel breasts pressing into my back when he grabbed me," K-Sha clarified.

"Hmmm..." Uni thought for a moment. "Well, that still doesn't narrow it down much... quite a few of the camera crew and studio staff could fit that description. Heck, even the victim fits the description!"

"I-it's more th-than what we h-had, though," Rei pointed out. "And it d-definitively r-rules out Mr. D-Downer..." she smirked.

"Oh, _funny,"_ the CPU Candidate sighed. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this, am I...?"

"Oh, so you're a fan of Tony Downer?" K-Sha inquired.

"Th-that's not important!" Uni cried, her face slightly red. "Look, uh..." she racked her brain. "D-did you ever hear anything about the victim going to the laundromat the night before?"

"Of course, almost everyone knew about it," K-Sha nodded. "It was pretty much routine for Mr. Wright to take care of the costumes after a day's shooting... even though he was just a light technician, he liked to do what he could to help Director Iceberg... in fact, I heard he'd started as Mr. Iceberg's errand boy before getting to his current job. Those two have apparently been best friends since high school... I feel so bad for the director, he lost a good comrade..."

"R-really?" Rei said. "Wow, I w-wish I'd h-had a f-friend like that... M-maybe I w-wouldn't have g-gone off the d-deep end in Victory, if th-that had b-been the c-case..."

"Speaking of friends," Uni cut in, "What's S-Sha up to right now?"

K-Sha hummed for a moment. "Actually, she spoke to me briefly after court adjourned, saying she was going to head back to the studio to see if she could find any clues about the Dragon Killer..."

"W-well, in th-that case, we should g-go over there a-and t-touch base with her, b-before we investigate th-the laundromat..." Rei proposed.

"Guess that's what we'll do then," Uni agreed. "Alright then, we're off... just hang in there, K-Sha! We're all rooting for you to get acquitted!"

"Good luck!" K-Sha called after them as they left...

 _September 17_

 _Lastation City Production Studios_

 _Main Entrance_

When Black Sister and Rei touched down, they were mildly surprised to find S-Sha leaning against the wall outide the door, which had two police officers standing guard. Tori was also there, leaning next to S-Sha, looking bored out of his skull.

"Hi, S-Sha!" Uni greeted as her transformation reverted. "And, um... Tori, right?"

"Yep," the boy answered. "Kinda flattered you remembered, most people just know me as 'boy' or 'errand boy'..."

"So what are you doing out here?" Rei inquired.

"...I wanted to go back in the studio to look for clues on this Dragon Killer, but they won't let me in," S-Sha explained.

"Yeah, while the investigation's going on, everyone in the movie's effectively out of a job," Tori sighed. "And worse, S-Sha keeps saying no to all my suggestions!"

"I'm not interested in kid's games," the white-haired woman grunted. "And besides, I don't like the fact that you don't seem to have any sympathy for my friend..."

"Yeah, well, it's kinda hard to have sympathy for a psycho who tried to kill one of the goddesses in the past!" Tori retorted. "At least you had a good reason for pulling what you did in Leanbox- trying to give E-Sha a new body!"

"Hey, with all due respect, you don't know K-Sha like I do!" Uni cut in. "She's well aware of her issues, and she's worked hard to get over them!"

"Indeed," S-Sha nodded, "And I as well as the other members of Gold Third have done what we can to support her in this endeavor..." She then looked over at Tori, "And need I remind you that E-Sha considers her a friend as well..."

The boy withered under the woman's fierce glare. "OK, OK, I'm sorry... I crossed the line." Desperate to change the subject, he asked, "So! Did K-Sha tell you anything about that Dragon Killer guy?"

"N-not much..." Rei sighed. "It was p-pitch-black w-when she was a-attacked, so..." She then proceeded to tell them the vague description K-Sha had recalled.

"...Yeah, that doesn't help much," Tori sighed. "That could describe about half the men in the studio..."

"Well, K-Sha said she'd managed to wing the guy in the shoulder..." Uni recalled. "Which means he might a have a scar of some sort there..."

"Hmmm..." S-Sha pondered. "I don't remeber seeing anyone with a scar like that... How about you?" she turned to Tori.

"I dunno either," the boy shrugged. "I mean, it's not like those guys are wandering around topless... and besides, I'm a Leanbox citizen like Director Iceberg, so I don't even know the majority of people here anyway..."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot..." Uni muttered. "Well then, if we can't go in the studio, then we should probably head over to the laundromat..." Suddenly her Sand-Song phone rang. "Huh?" She pulled it out and checked the ID. "Oh, it's Noire... hold on a sec..." She walked a few steps away as she answered...

"The laundromat?" Tori blinked in confusion.

"Ms. Ryghts proved in court today that Mr. Wright might have actually met his end the night before K-Sha's scene shoot, at the laundromat," S-Sha clarified.

"Ooooohh," Tori said, putting his hands behind his head. "So _that's_ why the police went over there... I thought maybe they were just questioning the owner about that red vest I ran over there, that Mr. Wright had been wearing..."

"OK, see you soon!" Uni said as she hung up. "Ugh, sorry, Rei, I have to go... There's an urgent Quest that needs to be done, and Noire's still way too busy..."

"I-it's fine," the horned lawyer assured her. "It's n-not like the l-laundromat's th-that far away... and besides, Kei will b-be there, too..."

"And if that Dragon Killer decides to try something funny, I'll fend him off myself," S-Sha stated.

"I kinda doubt he would," Tori shrugged. "I mean, if *I* was that guy, I'd be laying low, especially now that my plan to frame K-Sha failed... but hey, I'm no phantom serial killer."

"Yeah, you're right," Uni nodded. "Alright, I'd better go. See ya!" With that, she transformed and flew off.

"Bye!" Tori waved.

"Shall we head to the laundromat, then?" S-Sha said.

"Right," Rei nodded.

 _September 17_

 _Outside Wash-O-Laudromat_

"HOLD IT!" said the police officer standing at the entrance. "This is a crime scene! Only law enforcement personnel are allowed in!"

"B-but I'm K-Sha's l-lawyer..." Rei pointed to her badge.

"Let her in, Officer," came Kei Jinguji's voice from inside.

"Yes ma'am!" The policeman acknowledged. "Alright, you can come in... but your companions have to stay out here, understand?"

"Y-yes sir," Rei nodded.

"Figures," sighed Tori. "Might as well head to the arcade... you sure you don't wanna come, S-Sha?"

"Not interested," S-Sha intoned. "I wish to remain out here, just in case something happens."

"Fine, your loss," the boy shrugged as he sauntered off...

 _September 17_

 _Wash-O-Laudromat_

 _Front Room_

"Good of you to join us, Ms. Ryghts," Kei greeted. "But where is Lady Uni, if I may ask?"

"Got called away by Lady Noire for a Quest," the lawyer explained. "S-so, how's t-the investigation c-coming along?"

"Quite well, actually," Kei gave a rare smile. "Turns out it was just like Director Iceberg guessed- we detected blood that was soaked into the old rug in front of the washers. Also, luminol testing confirmed that blood had been wiped away from one of the washers, as well."

*Old Rug added to the Court-Record.*

"S-so this *is* the s-scene of the c-crime," Rei said. "S-so d-does this mean K-Sha is o-off the h-hook?"

Kei looked somewhat uncertain. "...Well, thanks to another piece of evidence we found, she may just be exonerated... but not in the manner you'd like."

"W-what d-does th-that mean?" the lawyer inquired nervously.

The Oracle stared straight into her eyes. "We also found blood spatter... on one of your spare suits, Ms. Ryghts."

Rei blinked for a moment as that fact sank in... "W... _WHAAAAAAAAAAATT?! MY clothes?!"_

"Which fits perfectly with the Dragon Killer's profile," Kei quickly continued. "This must have been his back-up plan, in case his plan to frame K-Sha fell through..."

*Rei's Bloody Clothes added to the Court Record.*

Rei's shock quickly segued into anger as her fists clenched. "Why that little arrogant worm! Thinking he could frame *me* because of my notorious reputation?! I am *so* going to enjoy squashing that maggot in court...!"

"Please, calm down, Ms. Ryghts," the Oracle sighed. "No-one here believes you're guilty, though I do want to ask about your alibi for the night in question, just to ensure our bases are covered."

"...I was asleep in my dressing room in a sleeping bag," the lawyer deadpanned. "I'm sure there are security cameras that'll prove I never left the studio..."

"We'll look into that," Kei agreed. Just then, Detective Thomas came running up.

"Oracle! We've found something!" he exclaimed. "Ain't no way you're gonna cut my pay this time!"

"Spare me your prattling, detective," Kei deadpanned. "Just show us what you found."

"OK! Right this way, ladies!" The large man exclaimed, beckoning them to follow...

 _September 17_

 _Wash-O-Laudromat_

 _Basement_

(Ugh! It _stinks_ down here!) Rei thought as she covered her nose. Kei looked somewhat displeased herself.

"We found this in a trash can hidden in a closet way back in the corner," Thomas explained. "Someone really didn't want this to be found..." With that, he lifted up a blue hair wig and a crudely made horn, both in plastic evidence bags.

"Well, this confirms our earlier hypothesis," the Oracle observed. "Did you find any hair inside the wig itself?"

"Well, yeah, we did, but..." the detective's face turned crestfallen. "It was just one stand of dark hair, but there was no follicle, no DNA testing's out... Sorry."

"Hmmm..." Kei pondered for a moment. "Well, the strand of hair we found from our previous investigation of the Dragon Killer was also dark in color... so it's possible our killer has either dark brown or black hair..."

*Wig and Fake Horn added to the Court Record.*

Just then, frantic footsteps were heard as S-Sha abruptly appeared from upstairs, her hair looking slightly disheveled. "We've got trouble, everyone!"

"W-what happened?!" Rei asked.

"There's a mob outside," S-Sha stated simply. "And the one leading them appears to be that Razzie Porter character..."

"Him _AGAIN?!"_ Thomas growled. "Why I oughta go up there and give 'im a piece of my mind!" With that, he charged back up the stairs, the others quickly running after him...

 _September 17_

 _Wash-O-Laudromat_

 _Front Room_

"Lock her up! Lock her up!" the mob chanted from outside.

"What the hell?!" Thomas gasped in shock. "There must be hundreds of 'em!"

Razzie Porter himself was visible from the entrance, briefly locking eyes with Rei Ryghts before turning back to the crowd. "And so the psycho lawyer goddess emerges! Clearly she knows better than to try to hide from justice!" A chorus of boos erupted from the crowds.

"HOLD IT!" Detective Thomas yelled as he marched up to the doors. "Just what do you think you're doing, buddy? This is a crime scene!"

"Yes it is!" Razzie agreed. "A heinous crime that the guilty party tried to cover up by acting as the defense attorney for the defendant, when she knew she herself was the killer all along!"

"Lock her up! Lock her up!" the crowd chanted again.

"This isn't good," muttered S-Sha. "I may be a member of Gold Third, but even I can't subdue a crowd that large all by myself..."

"...He must have overheard Ms. Ryghts' scream of shock when I told her about her bloody clothing," Kei theorized.

(What a time for Uni to get called away!) Rei thought to herself. Aloud, she said, "C-can't we g-go out the b-back door or s-something?!"

"No good," S-Sha shook her head. "I already checked, that's been blocked off too..."

"That's right, Ms. Ryghts! You can't escape justice!" Razzie yelled from outside. "You thought you could scare me off with your goddess villain shtick, but the shoe's on the other foot now, isn't it?!"

 _"LOCK HER UP! LOCK HER UP!"_ The crowd chanted even louder.

"Damn it!" Thomas growled, "We don't have _near_ enough manpower to deal with this situation!"

"W-what do we do then?!" Rei squeaked in near-panic.

"This is completely unacceptable!" Kei growled to herself. "And yet, given the current circumstances, we have no other choice..." Turning to Rei, she stated solemnly, "Rei Ryghts, I hereby pronounce you under arrest for the murder of Reggie Wright. You have the right to remian silent. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."

The lawyer's eyes went wide with horror. _"N...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

And outside, the crowd cheered...

To be continued...

Uh-oh... Is this the end for our beloved lawyer-goddess? Read and Review!


	6. Trial, Day 2 (Part 1)

Well, I managed to get this chapter out a little faster...

DaToskin- You want Rei's HDD form to appear? Be careful what you wish for... ;)

Drean- All I'll say is, you're getting close...

GX-Nepgear- You'll find out this chapter...

ROCuevas- Oh dang indeed.

Knightly Luciela- Nope, Rei will defend herself.

decode9- Killer or not, he'll get what's coming to him...

ookami486- I'm guessing Rei probably wears light blue panties... XD

Mkoll- Remember that Rei Ryghts still has a bad reputation throughout most of Gamindustri...

And now, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

Trial- Day 2 (Part 1)

Court Record:

-Crime Scene Photos

-Broken Stage Light

-Piece of Cloth

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Autopsy Report

-.30-caliber Machine Gun

-Dragon Killer's Fingerprints/Hair

-Old Rug

-Rei's Bloody Clothes

-Wig and Fake Horn

 _Date: ? Time: ?_

 _Solitary Confinement Cell_

(Oh woe is me...)

Rei sighed in despair as she sat in complete darkness, wondering why things had to go so wrong... (Why does this sort of thing always happen to me...? Not that this is the first time I've been thrown into a jail cell, but...) She heaved another sigh. (At least Planeptune's jails had windows...)

Just then, the door opened, light pouring in, momentarily blinding the former goddess. "Ms. Ryghts?" the guard intoned.

"Y-yes?" Rei sat up, adjusting her glasses.

"You have a visitor."

 _September 17_

 _Detention Center_

 _Visitor's Room_

Rei walked in and sat down, slightly surprised to see K-Sha on the other side of the glass.

"Hello, Miss Rei," the former mercenary nodded. "Looks they haven't abused you too much..."

"S-so th-they let you out?" Rei inquired.

"Yes..." K-Sha bit her lip. "Though, I wish it hadn't happened this way... Oracle Jinguji told me about what happened, and she looked none too pleased..."

'S-so are th-they g-going to p-put me on t-trial now?" Rei guessed.

"Yeah, tomorrow, she said..." K-Sha muttered, before clenching her fists in determination. "And... and I'm gonna do whatever I can to help! Uni's not allowed to assist you anymore, so..."

(Why am I not surprised...) Rei thought to herself. (And ten to one that reporter shows up as a witness tomorrow...) "W-well, I'm actually n-not that w-worried... there's some p-pretty definitive e-evidence that p-proves I've b-been framed..."

"I know, Miss Jinguji told me about that too..." K-Sha nodded, before abruptly punching the glass in frustration. "Damn that Dragon Killer! I ought to fill him with lead for what he's done...!"

"Oh, don't worry," Rei responded, "I'm gonna make sure that maggot answers for his crimes... but we have to do it the proper way."

"...Right." The brunette took a deep breath to calm herself. "So, do you have any idea who he might be?"

"N-Not yet," the lawyer faltered, taping her index fingers together. "I'm k-kinda hoping s-something will c-come out d-during the t-trial that'll help me f-figure it out..."

"In other words, we have to hope we'll get lucky," K-Sha deadpanned. "Well, not the first seemingly impossible mission I've taken on... And besides, this one's personal. So let's do our best tomorrow... For Noire, Uni, Mr. Wright, and all those innocent victims!" She then pressed her fist against the glass, Rei smiling as she tapped the glass with her own fist in a faux-fistbump...

 _September 18, 9:32 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

It felt somewhat strange to Rei, being the one escorted into the lobby and having her cuffs unlocked, like so many of her clients... Sure enough, K-Sha was waiting for her, arms crossed with a serious look on her face. "G-good morning," Rei offered.

"Morning," The student acknowledged. "How'd you sleep?"

"W-well, I managed t-to not have a-any n-nightmares..." the former goddess replied. "T-talking with you yesterday p-probably helped..." Just then, Kei Jinguji came marching in.

"Oracle Jinguji!" K-Sha gasped in surprise. "Are you prosecuting this case as well?"

"Of course I am," Kei confirmed. "I came to deliver a message from Lady Noire. Although she can't involve herself in this trial due to wanting to remain impartial, she is *very* upset at the recent turn of events. As is Lady Uni..."

"R-really?" Rei gasped.

"Yes, though in Lady Noire's case she's more upset about the stunt that Razzie Porter pulled..." She then looked Rei straight in the eye. "I won't mince words, Ms. Ryghts... there's only one way you're getting out of this without a conviction... and that is to find the real killer and prove they committed the crime. Which, given who we suspect it to be, is a tall order in and of itself..."

Rei gulped, before nodding. "I-I understand..."

"There's no way in hell I'm allowing that bastard to get away," K-Sha supplemented. "Not this time..."

"For all our sakes, I hope you're right," said Kei. "Good luck to you both." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out.

"By the way," K-Sha asked, "No-one's defending you today?"

"N-nobody offered," the lawyer shrugged. "B-but that's fine with me... I am an attorney myself, after all... S-so let's d-do our best today, OK?" With that she held out her fist, K-Sha smirking slightly as she tapped it with her own...

 _September 18, 10:00 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

"This court shall come to order for the trial of the state vs. Rei Ryghts," the judge intoned as he banged his gavel.

"Th-the defense is ready, Your Honor," Rei stuttered.

"The prosecution... stands prepared," muttered Kei, her arms crossed.

"...so, Ms. Ryghts, it would seem you've refused counsel," the judge muttered as he looked over at the defense's bench.

"I-I'm perfectly c-capable of d-defending myself, Your Honor," Rei stated.

"Of course. And Miss K-Sha, you're assisting her? Despite the fact that she might have framed you?"

"I don't buy it," K-Sha retorted. "And besides, I don't feel like I've been completely cleared of suspicion myself... not to mention, a good soldier doesn't leave a comrade behind!"

"How noble of you," the judge muttered. "Anyway, your opening statement, Prosecutor Jinguji..."

"...Very well." Picking up a sheet of paper, Kei began, "During the trial yesterday, it was suggested that the murder of Reggie Wright occurred not in the movie studio, but in the laundromat next door. Our subsequent investigation ended up proving the defendant's assertion correct, as we found blood soaked into the red rug on the floor, which was later confirmed to be Mr. Wright's." Setting the paper down, she continued, "However, another piece of evidence we found ended up leading directly to the defendant's arrest..."

"And what evidence was that?" the judge asked.

"...a spare suit belonging to the defendant, covered in blood spatter." The gallery erupted into boos at this, a few chanting, "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!", before being silenced by the judge's gavel.

(Hostile crowd today...) Rei thought, sweating a bit.

"Just ignore those ignorant civilians," K-Sha advised. "They have no idea what it's like to be under fire in a battle zone..."

"...Now, I shall call my first witness to the stand," Kei sighed. "Mr. Porter, if you would please." The man in question walked up to the stand, his light brown hair as spiky as ever. "Name and occupation."

"Raziel Porter, independent journalist!" he stated. "I'm the one that gets the scoops no-one else can! And I'm the one who prevented the guilty party's attempt to escape!"

"I-I wasn't t-trying to escape a-anything!" Rei protested. The crowd promptly booed her.

"Order!" cried the judge as he banged his gavel. "Be advised, Mr. Porter... I may have little love for the defendant in this case, but I have even less for you. Try to remember that this is a court of law, not a press conference!"

"Aw, cut me some slack, Your Honor..." Razzie sighed. "I already surrendered my camera to the bailiff..."

"Your testimony, please," Kei ordered. "And try to stick to the facts, like those in your profession are supposed to..."

"Yes ma'am, Oracle," the reporter muttered. "So, this is how it went down: I heard from a source in the gallery at the trial yesterday that the laundromat might be the real scene of the crime, so I hauled butt over there to see if I could learn anything. Of course, I knew the police would never allow me in, so I hung around discreetly outside, hoping to overhear any juicy tidbits. At one point, I saw Ms. Ryghts escorted by two others approach the scene, though only she was allowed in. Not long after, I heard her scream aout her clothes! That's when she realized she was busted! Peering inside, I saw a detective and the Orale take her downstairs as if to try and hide her! Well, I wasn't gonna stand for that, so I made a quick post to my blog, ad my loyal fans came out in force to ensure justice was done! So whaddaya think of that, Rei Ryghts?!"

"Boooooo! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" the crowd chorused.

"Order! Order! Order in the court!" cried the judge, banging his gavel several times. "If order is not restored, I will clear this courtroom!" The crowd quieted... for the moment.

"B-but I was sleeping in my d-dressing room!" Rei protested. "I-I'm sure the security cameras show I never left the building!"

"Unfortunately, I must concur with the defense," Kei stated. "We checked all the security footage from that night, and Ms. Ryghts never appeared..."

"OBJECTION!" Razzie suddenly interrupted. "Nice try, psycho goddess, but I know exactly how you avoided the cameras!"

"Wh-what?!" Rei gasped in surprise.

"Y-you do?!" the judge concurred with wide eyes.

"Yeah, see, I do my homework," the reporter began, pulling out what appeared to be a map. "thanks to a source of mine at the studio, I found there was a route the lawyer could take from the dressing rooms to outside without ever once showing up on camera!' He pointed to a green line that was drawn on the map, detailing said route. "What do ya say to that?"

"You do realize," Kei pointed out, "that the door leading outside is an emergency exit that only opens one way..."

"And *you* apparently don't realize," Razzie retorted, "that I found a slab of wood laying outside said exit, which Ms. Ryghts could have easily used to hold the door open while she went over to the laundromat and shot that light guy dead! And then, drag his corpse back through said door in order to set-up that K-Sha girl to take the fall!"

*Studio Escape Route added to the Court Record.*

"Ahhhhhh!" Rei screamed in shock.

"You c-can't be serious...!" K-Sha wailed in despair. The crowd again erupted into boos at this revelation...

"This is no way to conduct a trial! This is completely unacceptable...!" Kei shook her head in frustration.

"No, Oracle, what's unacceptable is *you* trying to hide Ms. Ryghts from justice!" Porter shot back. "And now you're prosecuting this case, *and* letting Ryghts defend herself? I know bias when I smell it! Right everyone?!"

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" the crowd chanted louder.

"Order! Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel.

"Forget it, Your Honor," Razzie smirked and shrugged. "Even you can't overcome the will of the people! May as well just 'em their verdict!"

"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!" the crowd was in a near-frenzy by now.

"Stop riling them up!" cried Kei, but her voice was swallowed by the gallery's chanting.

"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!"

"QUIET!" K-Sha tried to shout them down, to no avail. "Ugh, I don't have Uni's volume..."

 _"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!"_

As for Rei herself, her head was bowed as her hands were clenched into fists on the bench. **_"ENOOOOOOUGHH!"_** she screamed, as the courtroom was suddenly engulfed in blinding light...

When the light faded, Rei gained a bit of height, as well as a few inches to her bust size... her glasses were gone, and she now sported two horns rather than one. Her business suit had been replaced with a far skimpier outfit, her heather blue hair now a bright cyan, while her eyes now sported danger-symbols.

"What the -?!" gasped the judge, his face suddenly filled with horror as recognition kicked in. _"Oh, NO!"_

The transformed Rei made a slashing motion with her pointer finger, causing the very air in front of Razzie Porter to be cut with a sharp *P-SHING!* sound, causing the man to recoil. "Now you've done it, worm," she growled. "Don't you remember what happened _last time_ you pissed me off, maggot?!"

"Oh, craaaap! She's transformed agaaaaain!" Razzie cried in terror.

"Eeeeeek!" cried the judge as he dove under his desk, as the crowd chattered in visible fear.

"M-Ms. Ryghts, please calm yourse-!" *P-SHING!* Kei recoiled as the air was sliced in front of her.

"Quiet, worm. I'm talking," Chaos Heart stated in a dangerously low tone.

"Nggoooooh!" Kei groaned as she leaned over her bench, not being used to losing control of a situation so completely.

"Now, then..." Rei muttered. "As for you mindless *peons* in the audience, if you're so _eager_ to declare me guilty, why don't you come down here and say it to my face!" She began charging a small orb of angry red energy... "Or else, _get the hell out of my sight!"_ She fired, the energy orb exploding over the civilian's heads, causing then to scream and flee the courtroom in panic.

"Let me outta here!" Razzie screamed as he also tried to flee, only to be cut off by another *P-SHING!*

"Not you, maggot! You're not going anywhere!" Chaos Heart declared.

"Ahh! OK OK! I'm not going anywhere! Not even moving one little inch!" Tears then spouted at the corners or Porter's eyes. "P-please don't kill meee...!"

"Idiot, if I *wanted* you dead, you'd already be pushing up daisies..." Chaos Heart deadpanned. Looking up, the goddess saw the the audience had completely emptied out- only she, Porter, Kei, the judge, and K-Sha remained, at least from her point of view.

"I'm begging you, Ms. Ryghts...!" the Oracle pleaded, "There's no need for pulling such stunts!"

"I agree," Rei concurred. "Now that the peanut gallery's been dispensed with," Another brief flash of light as her transformation reverted, "Perhaps now we can conduct this trial properly. Right, Your Honor?"

"No! Please don't hurt me!" wailed the judge from under his desk. "I have a wife and children! I have grandchildren...!"

"Your Honor, Ms. Ryghts is back to normal..." Kei sighed as she put a finger to her forehead.

"S-she is...?" the robed man slowly peeked out. "Oh! She is!" He quickly stood up and adjusted his robes. "Ahem, right then..." He re-took his seat. "So, ah, what were we doing again?"

"I was about to cross-examine the witness, Your Honor," Rei stated calmly. "And K-Sha, come out from under the bench already."

"Hee hee hee..." the schoolgirl giggled nervously as she emerged. "Sorry... I, uh, dropped one of my pencils..."

"V-very well, then," the judge nodded, "Proceed with your cross... but please, no more transforming! I don't think my heart could take it..."

"...I'll think about it." With that, Rei slammed her fists on the bench as she addressed Razzie Porter, "So, you think Oracle Jinguji and Detective Thomas were trying to hide me from justice?"

"W-well, yeah..." Razzie stuttered.

"But that's not what happened at all, is it, Prosecutor Jinguji?" Rei chuckled lightly.

"Indeed," Kei nodded, "the reason we took Ms. Ryghts down to the basement was to show her some new evidence Detective Thomas had discovered..."

"Wh-what evidence?" Razzie grunted, sweating.

"TAKE THAT!" Rei declared as she presented the wig and fake horn. "As you can see, this is decisive evidence that someone plotted to frame me!"

"Frame you?!" cried the judge. "Wait a minute! Why wasn't I informed of this prior to the trial?!"

"Ask the person at the witness stand," Kei deadpanned. "We were forced to arrest Ms. Ryghts and charge her in order to prevent a riot instigated by this _yellow journalist..."_

"Arrrghh!" Razzie yelled as he gripped his hair with his hands. "B-but how do we know y-you d-didn't plant that yourself?"

"Because there's a black hair in the wig, which proves that someone actually wore it!" the horned lawyer retorted. "And I'll bet dollars to credits that it was your 'source' who gave you the map of this escape route, that wore this wig!"

"And just what do you base your flimsy conjecture on, Ms. Ryghts?" Kei inquired.

"Well, while it's illegal for me to ask about Mr. Porter's source, there's nothing stopping me from guessing." Putting a hand to her chin, Rei continued, "I'm guessing, Mr. Porter, that your source is a man about my height, with dark hair and a slight build, right?"

"WHAT?!" Razzie's hair briefly frizzed out. "How did you-?!"

"Quite simple," K-Sha spoke up. "Because that's the limited physical description we've put together of the *real* killer in this case... the Dragon Killer!"

 _"D-Dragon Killer?!"_ Porter freaked. "N-no way! Th-that can't be true! There's no way that kid could be...!"

('Kid'?) Rei thought to herself, as the judge banged his gavel.

"Mr. Porter, please calm yourself! I know that's a tall order, given who the defense is..."

"It's fine, Your Honor," the lawyer shook her head, "I'm through with this witness." She put her hands to her side, as if about to draw a sword. "Now get out of my sight, _worm!"_ *Wha... P-SHING!*

Razzie recoiled as the air was cut in front of him. "G-gladly! Lemme outta heeeeerrreee!" he screamed as he fled the courtroom.

"Y-you can do that in human form, too?!" K-Sha asked incredulously.

"N-not with enough f-force to a-actually ch-chop anything," Rei admitted. "B-but he d-doesn't need to know th-that..."

"W-well then," the judge grunted, "Now that Ms. Ryghts' innocence has been proven, I suppose I should pronounce my verdict..."

"HOLD IT!" declared Kei. "That's a touching gesture, Your Honor, but we're not finished yet."

"W-we're not?" the older man blinked in confusion.

"We still have to ascertain the identity of the true killer," the Oracle pointed out. "As soon as he hears that Rei Ryghts has been acquitted, the Dragon Killer will likely flee the area, and the trail will go cold once more." She then slapped a hand on the bench. "This trial may be our best opportunity to bring him to justice once and for all!"

"But, Prosecutor Jinguji..." the judge sighed, "Even if what you say is true, how do we go about finding him? That vague description could describe at least half the men at the studio, not to mention any customers at the laundromat..."

"Actually, Your Honor," Rei cut in, "I m-might have an idea w-who it c-could be..."

"You do?!" the judge's eyes went wide.

"Really, Miss Rei?" K-Sha gasped.

"B-but first, I need t-to c-confirm something..." the lawyer stuttered. (This isn't much more than an educated guess, but if I'm right...!) "I-I'm not t-too familiar with how Lastation's c-court system works, but... w-would it b-be p-possible for me t-to call a witness?"

"Call a witness?" the judge blinked a few times.

"...The prosecution has no objection," Kei stated, "Provided said witness is relevant to the case at hand."

"O-of course she is!" Rei protested.

"Very well then," the judge nodded slightly, "So who would the defense like to call?"

Rei took a breath before calling loudly, "S-Sha! Are you still here? You didn't flee when I transformed, did you?"

"Of course not," a familiar voice spoke from behind the former goddess, causing her to jump almost a foot in the air. S-Sha then walked out from behind the defense's bench and over to the witness stand.

"W-what were you doing there, witness?!" the judge inquired in mild shock.

"I was prepared to do what was necessary to save my fellow Gold Third member," S-Sha stated matter-of-factly. "Thankfully, it wasn't necessary this time."

(You were about to stab me in the back?!) Rei thought, sweating profusely.

"Sorry, Miss Rei..." K-Sha sighed. "I gave S-Sha a few pointers on how to sneak up on an enemy..."

"So, what did you want me for?" the platinum-blonde asked.

"A-actually..." Rei tapped her fingers together. "W-would it be p-possible for m-me to t-talk to E-Sha-"

"Absolutely not. Out of the question," S-Sha stated firmly. "E-Sha is terrified of you. And after that stunt you just pulled, there's no way I'm letting you anywhere near her!"

"B-but...!" Rei stammered.

"HOLD IT!" K-Sha jumped in. "Miss Rei, please leave this to me." Looking the bluenette in the eye, she continued, "Just sit down, and allow me to handle this mission..."

"O... Okay," Rei nodded, sitting down.

"What are you doing, K-Sha?" S-Sha raised an eyebrow.

"S-Sha... maybe *I* could talk to E-Sha?" the schoolgirl suggested. "She considers me a friend, right? She knows I'm no threat... And I've got a good idea of what Miss Rei wanted to ask..."

"K-Sha..." S-Sha sounded somewhat uncertain.

"Please, E-Sha! I just want to ask you a few questions! Please?" K-Sha pleaded.

S-Sha did not answer, closing her eyes for a few moments... but when they opened, her red irises had changed to a green color. "Yes, K-Sha?"

"W-what?!" the judge blinked. "Did her eye color just change?"

"Your Honor, the woman we know as S-Sha actually has two souls in her body," Kei Jinguji explained. "The S-Sha most of us know is the dominant soul... but the one standing in front of us is the body's original owner."

"T-Two souls in one body?!" the judge gasped in surprise. "I-is that even possible?!"

"...Yes, Your Honor," stated the woman at the witness stand.

"Witness, if you would please give your name and occupation for the record," Kei ordered.

"...E-Sha. Member of Gold Third." She looked over at the defense's bench, shivering slightly at seeing Rei Ryghts sitting next to K-Sha, despite the lawyer trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

"...If it makes you feel better," K-Sha suggested, "You could focus on Oracle Jinguji instead, and just listen to my voice..." E-Sha blinked, before turning her head away, taking a breath to calm herself. "OK. Now then... I wanted to ask you about your friend, Tori. Did he... take a trip to Lastation about three years ago?"

"...Yes. As did I." E-Sha replied.

"OK, good. My next question... Did Tori happen to get hurt during that trip?" K-Sha asked.

E-Sha nodded. "Yes... I administered first aid."

"How noble of you," the judge commented. "But I don't quite see the relevance here..."

"Just be quiet and listen for now, Your Honor," Kei slapped her hand on the bench.

"Y-yes, ma'am," the judge assented.

"All right, E-Sha. This last question is really important, so listen closely," K-Sha instructed. "The injury Tori suffered... was it a bullet wound to the left shoulder?"

E-Sha blinked, turning back to look K-Sha in the eye. "...Yes."

"...!" Both Kei and Rei's eyes opened wide at this.

"That's... oddly specific," the judge muttered.

K-Sha bit her lip. "E-Sha I really hate to break this to you, but... if I'm right, the one who shot Tori three years ago... was me."

"Y-you?!" E-Sha's green eyes went wide. "But... why?!"

"Self-defense," the former mercenary answered. "He would have slit my throat if I hadn't... because Tori is the Dragon Killer."

"WHAT-?!" E-Sha cried in utter shock.

"Just a minute! Who is this 'Tori' character?!" the judge asked.

"The director's errand boy," Kei Jinguji explained. "Part of the reason S-Sha allowed her subordinate Dogoo Man to be cast in 'The Revengers' was to allow E-Sha to meet with her old friend..."

"But what she never realized," Rei spoke up, "was that her friend was actually a serial killer bent on revenge... revenge against K-Sha, who refused to become a victim, and wounded him in the process! And as the errand boy, if he was seen anywhere suspicious, he could just explain it as doing a task for Director Iceberg or someone else on the film crew!"

"OBJECTION!" Kei suddenly cut in. "Nice theory, Ms. Ryghts, but you're forgetting something crucial..."

"A-and what would th-that be?" Rei asked, somewhat put off by the abrupt objection.

"Director Iceberg and most of his closet confidants, including the victim, are _Leanbox_ citizens," the Oracle pointed out. "How could you suggest that any of them are responsible for an extended murder spree in Lastation?"

"OBJECTION!" Rei retorted. "What if, Prosecutor Jinguji, that was exactly what the Dragon Killer was banking on?" She slammed her fists on the bench. "After all, if all the murders occurred in Lastation, it would never even occur to the investigative team that the culprit was actually a _foreigner,_ now would it?!"

"Nggooooh!" Kei recoiled, before leaning over her bench. "I-it can't be...!" (She completely turned my argument around on me...! No wonder she's so successful in Lowee!)

"No..." E-Sha whimpered. "Not him... no... no... No! No! NO! NO NO NO NO _NOOOOOOOO!"_ she yelled in denial as she abruptly fled the courtroom.

"Miss E-Sha!" the judge gasped.

"Oh no!" cried K-Sha. "I should have seen this coming... I'll go after her, Your Honor!" She promptly took off in pursuit.

"Uh... *ahem* A-anyway, Tori needs t-to be b-brought in for questioning!" the horned lawyer asserted.

"...I agree," Kei nodded. "Perhaps this would be a good time to recess, Your Honor."

"Very well," the judge agreed. "We will take a half-hour recess while Mr. Tori is summoned. That should me enough time to get some warm milk to calm my nerves... not to mention a change of underwear."

(We _really_ didn't need to hear that last part, Your Honor...!) Rei groaned inwardly.

"Court is now in recess!" the judge declared, banging his gavel.

To be continued...

At last, the true killer is revealed! Will Rei be able to bring him to justice? Read and review!


	7. Trial, Day 2 (Part 2)

The three-day weekend allowed me to get this chapter out faster than usual...

Draen- Elementary deduction, my dear Watson! (/britishaccent)

GX-Nepgear- Yeah, poor E-Sha's gonna go through the grinder here...

ROCuevas- This chapter will be even more exciting!

DaToskin- You think he'd have learned his lesson the first time...

Author Candidate-James Scott- I agree with you wholeheartedly...

Knightly Luciela- Hyper!Plutia won't be appearing in this series, since it shares continuity with 'The Misadventures of Hyperdimension Peashy'... go read Episode 8 of that story to see what I'm talking about...

decode9- Razzie had it coming, all right...

And now, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

Trial- Day 2 (Part 2)

Court Record:

-Crime Scene Photos

-Broken Stage Light

-Piece of Cloth

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Autopsy Report

-.30-caliber Machine Gun

-Dragon Killer's Fingerprints/Hair

-Old Rug

-Rei's Bloody Clothes

-Wig and Fake Horn

-Studio Escape Route

 _September 18, 10:56 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

(So we've finally figured out who the killer is...) Rei pondered as she stood alone in the lobby, (but proving it is going to be a tall order, like Oracle Jinguji said...) Her train of thought was interrupted as the door suddenly slammed open, S-Sha marching in with K-Sha close behind, her red eyes blazing with anger.

"Ryghts, what the hell were you thinking?!" the Gold Third member demanded, getting in the lawyer's face. "Making poor E-Sha cry like that?! I should cleave you in two for this!"

"Ahhh! I'm sorry! So, so very sorry!" Rei squeaked in fear.

"Stop that, S-Sha," K-Sha tried to intervene. "I'm just as responsible for upsetting E-Sha, you know... and besides, what if Miss Rei turns out to be right?!"

S-Sha considered this for a moment, before standing straight. "Fine. I'll defer my anger for now. But you turn out to be wrong, Ms. Ryghts... I will make you _suffer_ for causing E-Sha such unnecessary pain!" With that, she turned and marched out.

K-Sha watched her go, looking forlorn. "Well, that could have gone better..." She turned back to Rei. "Still, it's hard to believe that Tori of all people might be the Dragon Killer... I have to admit, there were a few people on the crew I would have suspected before him..."

"Th-that's probably w-what he was c-counting on," Rei pointed out. "A-after all, you n-never saw his f-face..."

"But he didn't see mine, either," K-Sha countered. "So how did he know it was me?"

"H-he c-could have recognized y-your voice," the lawyer suggested.

"...Maybe," the schoolgirl shrugged. "After all, there's not many girls with a voice like mine that uses machine guns in battle..." She then sighed. "The problem is, can we even prove that he killed Mr. Wright?"

"I have a few ideas," Rei replied, "But hopefully I can get him to slip and incriminate himself... After all, this will be the first time anyone's gotten this close to nailing him..."

"...I hope you're right," K-Sha sighed grimly.

 _September 18, 11:20 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

To Rei's mild surprise, a number of people had actually come back to the gallery to watch the trial, though the seats were still about half empty...

The judge then banged his gavel. "Court is now back in session. Prosecutor Jinguji, were you able to procure the witness?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Kei nodded. "He was somewhat reluctant at first, but when I mentioned his friend had run out of the courtroom crying, he couldn't get here fast enough." She then slapped her hand on the bench. "Take the stand, witness."

"Gladly," Tori replied as he marched up to the witness stand, shooting a glare over at the defense's bench. Rei bowed her head in shame, while K-Sha just glared back defiantly.

"Your full name and occupation," the Oracle intoned.

"Tori Ryuusei. I'm an assistant to the director..."

(Ryuusei?) thought Rei. ('Ryuu' as in 'dragon'? The circumstantial evidence just piles higher and higher...!)

"And just how do you assist the director?" the judge asked.

"Oh, just random odd jobs, this and that," Tori replied, putting his hands behind his head. "And not just for the director... I also do tasks for other crew members or the actors... moving props, cleaning up messes, getting food or drinks... I'm basically the errand boy for the crew at large."

"Does that include hanging lights?" K-Sha asked.

"Oh, sure, I help Mr. Wright with that sometimes... or I did, anyway," the boy looked down with a sad expression on his face. "Why'd he have to get shot dead, anyway?" Looking back over at Rei, he then cried out, "And why did *you* have to make E-Sha run outta here crying? I don't wanna be a potty mouth, but what the _hell,_ Ms. Ryghts?!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the former goddess apologized. "I d-didn't mean it, I swear...!"

Kei then slapped her hand on the bench again. "Because, witness, sometimes the truth isn't always pretty. It was because of the defense's inquiry into *you* that upset your friend so greatly..."

"Me?" Tori blinked. "Why ask about me?"

"Because it has come to our attention that you have no alibi for the night Reggie Wright met his end," Kei stated. "That is why you have been summoned as a witness!"

The boy recoiled at this. "W-wait, you're saying... that *I'm* a suspect?! That's insane! Why would I wanna kill Mr. Wright?! He's always been super nice to me!"

"...Nevertheless, we will have your testimony about your actions on the night of September 15th," Kei stated in a tone that would brook no argument whatsoever.

"OK, OK..." Tori sighed, running a hand through his short black hair.

"...He's acting exactly the same as always," K-Sha quietly observed. Rei just nodded in agreement.

"So, the night before..." Tori began. "Well, I knew that Mr. Wright was going to the laundromat that night... but so did everyone else on the crew. I mean, I admit I asked him if he wanted any help, but he said he had it under control. So I went back to the studio and crashed in Dogoo Man's dressing room."

"Why there?" the judge blinked in confusion. "Can't you afford a hotel room?"

The errand boy just shrugged. "Eh, all the hotels 'round here are way too fancy for my liking. Besides, it's not the first time I've slept in the studio..."

"I assume," Kei Jinguji cut in, "That the reason you slept in Dogoo Man's room was because he is S-Sha's, and by extension E-Sha's subordinate. Correct?"

"Yep," Tori nodded.

"So you never exited the studio for the rest of the night?" the judge inquired.

"Not unless I sleep-walked," Tori muttered. "You can check the security cameras, if you don't believe me..."

"OBJECTION!" cried Rei. "Sorry, Mr. Ryuusei, but that doesn't wash with me."

"Whazzat supposed to mean?" the boy asked.

"I have here," Rei held up a piece of paper, "A map of the studio, which details a route from the dressing rooms to an emergency exit, that allows a person to completely avoid detection by the cameras!" She then slammed her fists on the bench. "You could have easily used this route for yourself, in order to leave the building undetected!"

"Oh, come on!" Tori protested. "Even if such a route does exist, what makes you think I knew about it?!"

"Because Razzie Porter, who we received this map from, all but admitted that *you* were the source that gave it to him!" the lawyer asserted.

"Ugh!" Tori grabbed his stomach as if he had been just punched there. The people in the gallery began chatting at this...

"Order!" cried the judge as he banged his gavel. "Well, witness? What do you say to the defense's assertion?"

"Argh! OK, OK!" Tori grunted as he grabbed his hair in distress. "I admit it! I gave that map to the reporter! B-but he intimidated me into doing it! I didn't have a choice, OK?!"

"Even so," Kei Jinguji spoke up, "That doesn't explain why you had such a map to begin with..."

"Ugh..." the errand boy lowered his head in shame. "Look, I... the reason I had it was... well, I chatted up one of the security guys, and he was complaining about a big gap in the security, how someone could could steal something from an actor's dressing room and leave without ever being seen. So, outta curiosity, I asked him how that was possible, so he took me over to one of the maps on the wall, and pointed out the route. I figured I should let the director know about it, so I got a copy of the studio map myself and drew out the route I'd been told. But not long after that, Mr. Wright got killed, so I never had the chance to give Mr. Iceberg the map... and then that crazy reporter showed up, and..."

"Hmmm..." the judge closed his eyes in thought for a moment. "That story sounds a little flimsy to me... yet, I suppose it's plausible..."

"Ugh... he's good," K-Sha groaned. "Now what do we do?"

(He is probably telling the truth, at least as far as how he found out about that route,) Rei thought to herself.

"Does the defense have any other questions for the witness?" Kei inquired.

Rei nodded in response. "Tori, do you remember yesterday, when Uni and I were discussing the case with you and S-Sha outside the studio?"

"Yeah, I remember," the boy nodded. "We were talking about how that Dragon Killer guy might be the culprit..."

"Did you discuss what I remembered about what the guy looked like?" K-Sha pressed.

"Yeah, we did..." Tori put his hands behind his head. "But like I said before, that describes about half the guys at the studio..."

"Including yourself," K-Sha pointed out.

"Uh... well, yeah, I guess..." the black-haired boy conceded. "But Ms. Ryghts also said that the guy had a scar on his shoulder..."

"Which you also have!" Rei pointed her finger. "Don't try to deny it! We've already heard from E-Sha about how you were shot three years ago!"

"Wh-wh-whaaaaaat?!" Tori gasped. "S-she told you about that?!"

"Perhaps we could have a look at the wound you suffered?" Kei suggested.

"D-do I have to...?" Tori groaned, sweating slightly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you do," the judge asserted.

"Ugh... all right, fine," the errand boy sighed, as he stretched the collar of his t-shirt, exposing his left shoulder...

and a very visible scar-line that ran over it. "There, ya happy now?" The gallery began to mutter at seeing the scar...

"Oh, my. That's quite a mark," the judge observed.

"Yeah," Tori grunted as he let his collar snap back into normal position. "I'm sure E-Sha already told you this, but I got this a few years back when she and I were on a trip to Lastation together... as friends, just so we're clear." He then sighed. "It was my own fault, I shouldn't have gone for a walk on a pitch-black night, but I just couldn't sleep... all of a sudden this psycho comes outta nowhere with a machine gun and starts shooting! I barely got away from that wacko! Managed to find my way back to E-Sha's room, and she bandaged me up..."

"Why didn't you call the police, or go to the hospital?" Kei Jinguji inquired.

"Aw, the wound wasn't that bad..." Tori said as he put his hands behind his head again. "It looked worse than it hurt, but I just kinda stayed inside for the rest of the trip after that... As for not calling the police, I had no idea what that psycho looked like, so what was the point?"

"Or maybe," K-Sha countered, "you didn't go to the hospital because you didn't want your DNA profile being put on record! Because you were afraid that the blood you lost in the shooting attack would prove that you were the Dragon Killer!"

"Whaaaaaaa...?" Tori's face contorted in utter disbelief. "Uh, Ms. Ryghts, has this girl been taking her meds or not?"

"I don't take meds!" the student protested. "Just because I was practically raised by a mercenary group, doesn't make me a funny farm candidate!"

"Order! Order!" the judge gaveled them down. "That'll be enough, children... would any adults be willing to step into this conversation?"

"Miss K-Sha, at this point, it's your word against Mr. Ryuusei's," Kei stated. "After all, evidence is everything in a court of law... if you have no proof to back up your assertion, then it has no standing here..."

"B-but he has no proof, either!" K-Sha protested.

"HOLD IT!" Rei jumped in. "K-Sha, I think it's time you left this mission to me..."

"Huh? Do you have an idea, Miss Rei?" the brunette turned to look at her companion.

"Look, Miss Jinguji is right," the lawyer whispered. "You can't prove Tori's the Dragon Killer from that incident, because we have no evidence due to the Order's interference. We have to approach this from another angle!"

"What angle is that?" K-Sha whispered back.

"The evidence we already have." With that, Rei stood straight, before saying aloud, "Your Honor, I might have a way of proving whether this errand boy is our killer or not..."

"And what would that be?" the judge asked curiously.

"While discussing the case yesterday, Prosecutor Jinguji told me that there was some evidence left behind from the Dragon Killer's previous murders," the former goddess explained. "Which includes two partial fingerprints. Perhaps if we could compare them to Tori Ryuusei's prints..."

"Fingerprints?!" Tori gasped, before suddenly segueing into laughter. "Ah-hahahahaha! That's a good one, Ms. Ryghts!"

"...would the witness care to tell us what is so funny?" Kei asked.

"S-sorry, sorry. That was probably kinda inappropriate, huh?" The errand boy then cleared his throat. "It's just, about a year or so ago, I tried grabbing a hot pot off the stove without gloves... That time, I *did* have to go to the hospital, 'cause my fingertips got burned pretty badly... Long story short, because of that, I don't have any fingerprints anymore..."

 _"Wh-whaaaaaatt?!"_ Rei cried as she recoiled in shock, the audience starting to chatter...

"Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel. Once the gallery had quieted, he stated, "Well, this is a conundrum. If the witness has no fingerprints, that effectively makes the partials left by the Dragon Killer useless as evidence!"

"Arrrrgh!" K-Sha growled, sweating a little. "That little sneak! He burned off his fingerprints on purpose, to hide his past!" she hissed to Rei, who could only groan in reply.

"Unfortunately, it wold seem the defense has failed to meet their burden of proof," Kei Jinguji stated solemnly. "Without proof, this cross-examination is going nowhere fast. It may be time to let this witness go..." The Oracle then slapped her hand on the bench. "Unless, Ms. Ryghts, you have some other way of proving your case, this trial must come to an end here and now!"

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry," sighed Tori. "Can we just end this trial already, so I can go get some grub?"

"Th-this can't be happening! We were so close...!" K-Sha moaned in despair.

Rei on the other hand, realized something had sounded strange with the prosecution's last statement... (Another way of proving my case...? But the only evidence other then the fingerprints was...) The horned lawyer then gasped as a sudden epiphany came to her. (Way too subtle, Oracle... but maybe, just maybe...)

"Very well," sighed the judge. "If the defense has no further arguments, then I will have to end proceedings..."

 _"OBJECTION!"_ Rei declared, pointing her finger. "Your Honor, there *is* another piece of evidence we can use!"

"R-really?" the older man blinked in surprise. "And just what is that?"

"In addition to the fingerprints, there was also a single strand of hair that was found," Rei explained. "That's how we knew the Dragon Killer's hair color to begin with, after all..."

"Oh!" gasped K-Sha. "Then, we can just compare the DNA from that hair to Tori's DNA, and-!"

"OBJECTION!" Kei cut her off. "I'm sorry, defense, but that's impossible."

"What do you mean, 'impossible'?" the former mercenary demanded.

"In order for a DNA comparison to be run, the hair has to have an intact follicle, or root," the Oracle explained. "Unfortunately, the hair in question has no follicle to speak of..."

"No no noooo!" K-Sha wailed. "Why does this kid keep getting so lucky?!"

"Hey, you're the ones who kept trying to pin Mr. Wright's death on me," Tori shrugged.

"HOLD IT!" Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "K-Sha, you jumped the gun! That wasn't what I was going to suggest at all..."

"Oh?" Kei raised an eyebrow. "Then what was your suggestion, Ms. Ryghts?"

"W-well, you see," Rei began, "I k-kinda already f-figured that th-the Dragon Killer's hair d-didn't have an i-intact root... otherwise, y-you would have run a D-DNA c-comparison long ago, r-right?"

"Correct," the Oracle nodded.

"But the thing is, there's also a hair that was left behind in this fake wig worn by the killer," Rei pointed out. "So, who says we can't compare the two hairs to each other?"

"T-to each other?" Tori gasped. "I-is that possible?"

"Well, I highly doubt that the Dragon Killer's hair composition has changed that much in three years," Rei mused. "So, if we compare these two hairs, and they're shown to be identical... It would prove beyond a doubt that the man who disguised himself as me, shot Reggie Wright dead at the laundromat, dressed him in clean clothes and a red vest, dragged his body back to the studio, set him up by the heat register, faked his voice when Director Iceberg went to check on him, and finally moved him up to the rafters above K-Sha's scene shooting..." She pointed dramatically with her finger. "That this man is none other than the one and only Dragon Killer!"

 _"Gaaaaaahhhhhhh-!"_ Tori screamed as he recoiled, his hair spiking up in shock.

K-Sha's eyes suddenly went wide. "That scream... I've heard that scream before..."

 _("Shit-!")_

(*tatatatatatatatata*)

("Stop right there, bastard!")

(*ratatatatata*)

 _("Gaaaaaahhhhhhh-!")_

"Three years ago..." the schoolgirl pointed at the errand boy. "Tori Ryuusei! It was your scream I heard three years ago!"

"Graaaaah...! Rrrroooooaaaaarrrrhhhhh!" Tori continued to scream, his fists clenched in anger, a dark aura surrounding him. "K-Shaaaaaa...! K... K-SHAAAAAAAAAA! Only _you..._ would _dare..._ defy me...!"

"So it *was* you!" K-Sha accused.

The dark-haired boy slammed his fists on the witness stand, smoke suddenly expelling from his nose. "It was... it was all your fault! You completely ruined my perfect kill streak, you _bitch!_ And then, to add injury to insult, you left a scar on my shoulder as a reminder of my screw-up! Forcing me to hide in my friend's hotel room until we went back to Leanbox...!" Gritting his teeth, he continued, "I swore then and there... that if I ever ran across you again, I would make you _suffer_ for my utter humiliation!"

"So, it's true then!" the judge declared with an angered expression. "You _are_ the Dragon Killer!" The gallery started murmuring in disbelief...

 _"No!"_ screamed Steve Iceberg. "It was you, Tori? YOU killed Reggie?! For Goddess' sake, WHY?!"

"...I'm sorry, Director," Tori muttered. "I just needed a convincing motive to frame K-Sha with, and Mr. Wright just happened to provide it when he argued with her over Lady Noire. It wasn't anything personal. I even told him that just before I shot him..." He heaved a sigh. "If it's any consolation, his death was a swift one..." He snorted, blowing more smoke out of his nostrils. "I can't _believe_ I got exposed by the **villain** of the film, of all people...! I knew she was a lawyer, but the way she stuttered all the time made me think she was incompetent...!"

"And thus, you thought I was the perfect back-up plan, in case K-Sha was proven innocent," Rei finished for him, before smirking sinisterly. "Let me tell you, Ryuusei, you're far from the first murderer to have underestimated me due to my speech pattern! Did you really think, with all your kills, that you had what it took to take on a _former final boss?"_

"If so, you made a big mistake," Kei Jinguji supplemented. "After all, this is a courtroom, not your standard JRPG..." She slapped her hand on the bench. "And when you take on a final boss without being prepared, you get wiped!"

"Of course, your _biggest_ mistake," K-Sha added, "was drawing your callsign on the victim's body... if it hadn't been for that, we'd all have been completely clueless..."

"Hmph... I'll concede that one," Tori growled. "I was careful not to draw it on Mr. Wright's body after I shot him, when I was cleaning him up afterwards... but when I removed the vest and dragged him up to the rafters... my hands must have moved without thinking. I tried to rub it out, but you obviously still recognized it, K-Sha..."

"Actually, it was I who discerned the blood pattern to be your emblem," the judge interjected. "Though Miss K-Sha did provide the context..."

"You bastard!" S-Sha called out. "E-Sha is screaming in pain right now! She can't handle the fact that she might have aided and abetted a serial killer! How could you betray her trust like that?!"

"I never meant for her to get involved!" Tori protested. "It's this damned yandere's fault I had to get her to bandage me up!" he pointed at K-Sha. "Dammit... I thought I could kill two birds with one stone, by using that murder to remind you of your accident so you'd recede and let E-Sha have control of her own body again! Obviously, that didn't pan out either!"

"Need I remind you, E-Sha did what she did *willingly* in order to save my life!" S-Sha countered. "But you don't save lives, you take them! You're not worthy of being E-Sha's friend! You _never_ were... because you're nothing but _pure evil!"_

"See, that's always been E-Sha's problem," Tori sighed. "Both you and she see things in terms of black and white..."

The platinum-haired woman's eyes suddenly shifted from red to green as E-Sha took control. "Sometimes, that's the way things *are*, Tori! I wish I'd _never met you!"_

The Dragon Killer doubled over like he'd been hit in the stomach again. "E-Sha...!"

"Enough," Kei cut in, "It's over, Dragon Killer. There is no escape for you this time, for your bloody legacy ends here."

"Does it, now...?" Tori muttered, blowing smoke out of his nostrils again. "You fool, Oracle... did you really think I'd just waltz into this court without an emergency escape plan?" With that, he clicked his boots together, which suddenly ignited rockets in the soles which propelled up up, straight through the ceiling and out of the courtroom!

"What the- rocket boots?!" the judge gasped as he looked upward.

"Seriously?!" Rei cried out.

"Oh no you don't!" K-Sha cried. _"TRANSFORM!"_ The ex-yandere was engulfed in a golden light as she assumed her Gold Form. "You're not getting away this time!" she screamed as she took off in pursuit, widening the hole in the ceiling in the process.

"I-incredible!" the judge gasped at seeing K-Sha fly off.

"Your Honor, the verdict?" Kei requested.

"What...? O-oh, yes! Of course!" the robed man cleared his throat. "This court hereby finds the defendant, Ms. Rei Ryghts..."

 **NOT GUILTY**

There was no outright cheering or confetti, but a smattering of applause was heard from the half-empty gallery. (At least they're not booing me anymore,) Rei mused.

"Now somebody get after that Dragon Killer!" the judge demanded.

"I will contact Lady Noire at once," Kei assented as she pulled out her mobile device. "Ms. Ryghts, you contact Lady Uni..."

"R-right!" Rei nodded as she whipped out her cell phone. (I just hope they get here in time to help K-Sha... something tells me that Tori Ryuusei isn't going down without a fight... a physical one, in this case...!)

To be continued...

Well, that was unexpected... The true culprit escapes! Will he be brought to justice? Read and review!


	8. The Chase

WARNING: This chapter has some blood and gore, so make sure those of you with weak stomachs have taken your Pepto-Bismol...

Drean- Yeah, I don't put Tori's chances too high...

KirbySage18- Well, Tori's breakdown *was* meant to be a homage to Turnabout Goodbyes, but looking back, it does seem like I almost ripped off too many details from that case... I'll have to be more careful about that next time.

ROCuevas- But will he be brought in dead or alive, is the question...

decode9- No, Rei's going to leave the action to K-Sha and the Lastation goddesses this time...

And now, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

The Chase

 _September 18, 12:01 PM_

 _In the skies above Lastation City_

"Stop right there, bastard!"

The Dragon Killer turned his head at that voice, seeing what must have been something out of a nightmare for him... K-Sha, the girl who had wounded him before, now flying after him in a transformed state... _(Shit!_ I forgot about her Gold Form!) He immediately began swerving this way and that as the Gold Third member opened fire with her twin machine guns...

"You're not getting away this time!" K-Sha yelled as she tried to aim her firearms in Tori's direction.

"Nah nah, can't get me!" the black-haired boy taunted. "Can't hit the broad side of a barn!"

K-Sha growled, before suddenly getting an alert on her eyepiece, a smirk spreading over her face. "Oh yeah? How do you know my gunfire isn't just a distraction?"

"Distraction?!" Tori slowed the slightest bit...

(Now!) Suddenly a beam of energy came from nowhere, grazing one of the Dragon Killer's rocket boots, causing it to malfunction and sending Tori spiraling out of control!

 _"K-Shaaaaaaaa...!"_ the boy screamed in rage as he fell and vanished among the high-rise buildings. Not long after, Black Sister came flying up.

"Nice shot, Uni," K-Sha complimented. "He never saw it coming..."

"Well, that's part of being a good sniper!" the HDD CPU Candidate boasted. "We better go after him, though... Noire's still en route..."

"Right," the Gold Third member nodded as she checked her eyepiece, searching for Tori Ryuusei's vitals... "Ah-ha! Got him! He's... looks like he crashed on the that abandoned apartment complex there," she pointed.

"OK!" Black Sister nodded. "How about I come up from the bottom, and you go in from the top? He shouldn't have any way to escape that way, now that his boots are kaput..."

"Alright," K-Sha agreed as she flew toward the roof, while Black Sister jetted down to the bottom floor...

 _September 18, 12:08 PM_

 _Abandoned Apartment Complex_

 _Top Floor_

Unfortunately, the door from the roof had been to narrow for K-Sha's weapons apparatus to fit through, forcing her to abandon it on the rooftop... but that was fine with her, she didn't think she'd need it anyway. As she descended into the dimly-lit hallway, she checked her eyepiece, tracking the vital signs of her target...

"Wow, K-Sha," Tori's voice spoke from the darkness, "you sure are persistent. You really wanna put me down, huh? Just like you tried to do to Lady Noire herself..."

Refusing to take the bait, the former mercenary instead asked, "Tell me something, Tori... what was it that made you start killing? What drove you over the edge?"

A chilling laugh in response. "You fool... you think I just decided out of the blue to start killing people? I'd been killing animals and even some monsters long before then. But that got boring fast... they were just too dumb and predictable. I just wanted a bigger challenge..."

"And look where that's gotten you," K-Sha retorted as she tried to suppress a shudder of disgust, "hiding for your life in an abandoned building, with a former soldier and a goddess both closing in on your position. And in case you think the shadows are protecting you, my eyepiece shows me exactly where you are..."

"Not for long," the Dragon Killer taunted, as something suddenly slid out of the darkness across the floor towards K-Sha who instinctively backed up a few paces as she trained her guns on the object... a cell phone, which flashed three big letters on its screen- **EMP.**

The brunette's eyes went wide just before the device went off, K-Sha recoiling from the electromagnetic pulse, her eyepiece sparking, showing static and then going dark. "Damn it!"

"Heh, amazing what mobile devices can do nowadays, isn't it?" Tori's voice echoed.

"My guns aren't effected by EMPs," K-Sha shot back defiantly. "You think you have me blinded... but I can still hear your footfalls!" With that, she stepped into the pitch-black room and opened fire with both barrels, briefly seeing her quarry rolling away from the shots, turning to try and compensate...

Suddenly there was a crash as K-Sha's gunfire shot through a window as well as the weak wooden planks that covered it, causing sunlight to shine into the room. However, as the ex-yandere looked around, she couldn't see Tori anywhere. (I could have sworn he was in here-!) Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she felt herself grabbed from behind, before being flipped hard onto the ground, her guns popping from her grasp. Looking up, she saw Tori bearing down on her with a large curved knife-

Which failed to find its target as K-Sha quickly rolled away, drawing a combat knife from under her skirt as she righted herself, looking Tori directly in the eye.

"And now," the Dragon Killer growled, "I correct the mistake I made three years ago!"

"That's *my* line!" K-Sha retorted as she charged.

The two clashed, the sound of steel clanging as they deflected each other's strikes, along with a few thrown punches that were hastily aimed and missed. But it was Tori who drew first blood by successfully landing a slash across K-Sha's chest above her bosom, causing the mercenary to recoil in pain.

"Gotcha," Tori grinned in imminent triumph.

"I'm not... dead yet!" K-Sha growled as she recovered, taking her stance once more. "A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal, you know!"

"And yet it still doesn't stand a chance against a dragon," Tori taunted as they again approached each other.

K-Sha utilized a more defensive strategy this time, holding back slightly as her assailant tried to press the offensive, only for K-Sha's close-combat training to be put to good use as she easily evaded and deflected his slashes and punches, forcing the Dragon Killer to take a step back to reassess his strategy.

 _(Now!)_ K-Sha thought as she quickly switched the knife from her right hand to her left, allowing her to grab Tori's knife arm and hold it out of the way as she struck with her knife, stabbing her enemy in the chest once, then again, before pressing a button at the base of the knife, causing the Dragon Killer to receive a severe electric shock. K-Sha then followed up with a kick that knocked the curved knife out of Tori's hand and into the air...

"K...Sha...!" Tori cried as he staggered, trying to get his paralyzed body to move... But to no avail, as K-Sha caught Tori's knife in her hand, before thrusting straight through his head beneath his chin, the tip of the knife erupting from the top of his skull. The brunette took a step back as she watched Tori collapse to his knees, his expression frozen with shock and rage, before finally falling onto his front side, dead.

K-Sha let her breath out in a rush as her transformation reverted. "Mission... complete. Thank you, Adrian... Peach..." she grunted as she staggered back to the doorway, favoring her slash wound, only to see someone else step into view. "Uni? Is that you...?"

"Not quite," the silhouette answered as she stepped into view, revealing the form of HDD Black Heart herself.

 _"Noire...!"_ K-Sha gasped in joy, as she stumbled and fell into the goddess' welcoming embrace, resting her head on her chest. "I'm so glad... you're here..."

"Seems I'm a bit late, actually," Black Heart responded as she regarded the bloody corpse of Tori Ryuusei, wincing internally. "Looks like you got him. Good work, K-Sha."

"Mm-hmm..." K-Sha nodded. "It's over, Noire... it's finally over. The dragon... has been slain." With that, she let herself lapse into blissful sleep...

To be concluded...

And so the Dragon Killer meets his ultimate fate... read and review!


	9. The Denouement

At last, the epilogue!

decode9/ROCuevas- Game Over...

YuriPrime- I imagine the Gamindustri version of Hell being like, trapped forever in a black void with the words 'GAME OVER' floating in front of your face. And there's no 'Continue' option.

Author Candidate-James Scott- The fight was inspired by the Death Battle between Solid Snake and Sam Fisher.

Drean- Yep, now they can finish filming 'The Revengers'...

KirbySage18- Already sent you a PM.

GX-Nepgear- Given she used to be a mercenary, this probably isn't the first time K-Sha's killed someone... At least this one was justified, though.

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Of The Revengers

By Derald Snyder

The Denouement

 _September 19, 8:34 AM_

 _Lastation Basilicom_

 _Kitchen_

"Good morning," Rei Ryghts said politely as she and Uni walked into the kitchen and sat down.

"Good morning, Ms. Ryghts, Lady Uni," Kei Jinguji acknowledged, while Noire simply grunted in response, nursing a cup of coffee. As for Kei herself, though her voice was strong and clear, her eyes looked just the slightest bit bloodshot. "I apologize for my unkempt appearance, but I was up late last night dealing with paperwork related to the fallout of the trial, not to mention co-ordinating with investigators."

"K-Sha's not in trouble for what she did, is she...?" Uni asked worryingly.

"No," Noire spoke up. "As far as I'm concerned, it's justified use of deadly force against a criminal who resisted arrest..."

"Exactly the way I ruled it," Kei concurred. "Anyway, we checked the Dragon Killer's victims against Tori Ryuusei's trips to Lastation... So far, we've found that many of said victims were just a bus ride away from where Director Steve Iceberg shot movie scenes in this nation." She then shook her head, lamenting, "The killer's pattern was so obvious in hindsight... but as you pointed out, Ms. Ryghts, the idea of a foreigner being the culprit never once occurred to us..."

"At least he's no longer a threat to society," Noire pointed out. "I kinda wish we would have been able to put him on trial for his crimes, but this was better than him getting away again. At least now the families of all his victims can finally have some closure..."

"What about that Razzie Porter guy?" asked Uni. "I mean, the only reason things got so bad for K-Sha and Rei was because of what he did...!"

"I'm planning to call a press conference today," Noire stated, "and officially condemn that guy's actions in the harshest possible terms... hopefully that'll cause him to lose all his subscribers to his blog, and fade into obscurity and irrelevance."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," muttered Rei. "That maggot caused me way too much trouble this week..."

"What about K-Sha?" Uni then asked. "Is she awake yet?"

"Not yet," said Kei. "C-Sha is currently keeping vigil over her... she and B-Sha got in late last night, and I explained the gist of what happened. I believe B-Sha is with S-Sha now... most likely to try and console E-Sha over what happened with her old friend."

"P-perhaps when she wake up, w-we c-can go v-visit her?" Rei then suggested.

"Sure," Noire nodded in agreement. "I'm still going to be busy with Kei getting the press conference scheduled, among other things. So, give her my regards, OK?"

"Sure!" Uni nodded.

 _September 19, 10:02 AM_

 _Lastation City General Hospital_

 _Patient Room 35_

"K-Sha...?"

"Mmmnnnngghhh..." The schoolgirl slowly roused at the sound of her name, vaguely aware that her chest had been bandaged. As her vision came into focus, she saw a familiar face... A well-endowed woman with long brown hair and toned arms, wearing a blue beret... "C-Sha...?"

"Ah, you're awake," stated another voice- a black-shadowed NPC nurse. "You were out for quite a while, Miss K-Sha... You had your friends a bit worried."

"Sorry," K-Sha groaned as she shifted into a sitting position. "I guess I've been having trouble sleeping... since I realized the Dragon Killer was involved..."

"Yeah, the Oracle filled us in on what happened," C-Sha said. "I got a look at the guy's corpse... that was a nice takedown. Though I'm kinda surprised you knew how to use a knife..."

"Learned that from a Leanbox soldier," K-Sha explained, stretching a bit. "So... if you're here, does that mean B-Sha's here too?"

"Yeah, she's with S-Sha right now," the Gold Third leader confirmed. "Sounds like E-Sha's pretty broken up over what happened..."

"...I didn't want it to be true," the mercenary sighed. "I kept hoping against hope that Miss Rei's suspicions were wrong... that E-Sha would give me the wrong answers when I cross-examined her... That she'd say 'no'..." She heaved another sigh. "But, like Oracle Jinguji said, the truth isn't always pretty..."

"Indeed it isn't," came the voice of S-Sha as she and B-Sha walked into the room. "But as far as I'm concerned, you did the right thing."

"S-Sha..." K-Sha began hesitantly. "Um, how's E-Sha doing...?"

"...Better, thanks to B-Sha," the platinum-blonde answered.

"That's right!" B-Sha spoke up. "I told E-Sha we're still her friends, no matter what, and that we'll _never_ betray her!" She spread her arms for effect. "Honestly, that Tori guy is worse than a monster... because monsters only attack humans because it's their job in this game series! What was his excuse?!"

"...It doesn't matter," K-Sha shook her head. "He's dead now, and it's all over. He won't kill ever again."

"Ironic, though," S-Sha spoke up again, "How he ended up meeting his end by attempting to get revenge on you for a minor wound. If it hadn't been for his own actions, we never would have been the wiser. In the end, it was his own hatred that brought him down..."

"I guess..." the brunette sighed. "I just wonder about how the director's taking all this..."

"Actually, we spoke with him earlier," S-Sha said. "He wanted us to pass along a message when you woke up... basically, he said that he's not going to be using your scenes in the final cut, because of the controversy surrounding what happened to you..."

"But I told him he'd better pay you what you would've earned from acting in the movie in the first place!" B-Sha jumped in. "At least he agreed to that..."

"Oh... I see," K-Sha sighed. "Well, I can't say I blame him..."

"Guess you'll have to wait a bit longer for your big screen debut," C-Sha lamented. "Still, I wonder if the Director has any plans to fill in the empty time from cutting K-Sha's scene..."

"Actually, about that..." S-Sha muttered...

 _September 19, 12:10 PM_

 _Lastation Basilicom_

 _Front Entrance_

"...and as goddess of Lastation, I wish to commend K-Sha for her heroic actions in stopping the Dragon Killer's murder spree for good!" stated Noire to the paparazzi gathered in front of her and Kei Jinguji.

"Yes, and credit must also be given to Rei Ryghts for helping to uncover the truth of the sinister conspiracy that nearly stopped this movie's production from going forward," Kei added.

"What about the fact that she transformed into her besrerk goddess form in the courtroom?" a reporter asked.

"I do not condone that action," the Oracle answered, "However, the actions of the riotous gallery calling for her conviction is what caused to go over the edge..."

"And on *that* note," Noire cut in, "I wish to condemn in the strongest possible terms, the actions of one Razzie Porter, whose antics caused the investigative team no small amount of aggravation and difficulty! If it hadn't been for him, there might not have even been a need for a trial to begin with! I also condemn the actions of his readers who acted as a mindless mob on his behalf, which led to Ms. Ryghts' unnecessary arrest! You should all be ashamed of yourselves for acting like brainless zombies! If I were you, I'd promptly unsubscribe from his blog and any other publications he's authored, and start getting your news from more _reputable_ sources!"

Meanwhile, in an apartment some distance away, Razzie's eyes went wide at hearing Noire's proclamation... before getting several 'unsubscribe' alerts from his computer.

"No... no, no, no!" cried Razzie as he grabbed his hair in distress. "I'm ruined... ruined... _ruuuuuiiiiinnnned!"_

 _A few months later..._

S-Sha crashed to the ground, her Gold Form transformation reverting as the pieces of her shattered sword fell around her. Groaning as she picked her head up, she opened her eyes...

...and saw Chaos Heart standing over her, a red ball of energy in one hand. "Pathetic. If this is the best Gamindustri has to resist me, then conquering this dimension will be no problem whatsoever!"

"Y-you fool, Rei Ryghts..." S-Sha grunted in pain, "There are many others beside me... who won't be interested... in submitting to you... Some are even stronger than me... My subordinate in particular, will do his utmost to avenge me..."

"Oh, you'll see your subordinate soon enough..." Rei chuckled, _"in the depths of hell!"_ With that, she fired, S-Sha screaming in agony as her body was literally disintegrated. "That's what you get for defying me, _puny mortal._ And so it will be with *all* who oppose me! _HAAAA ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"_ With that, she spread her wings and flew off...

 _December 18, 8:10 PM_

 _Lastation City Multiplex Theaters_

 _Theater No. 4_

"Noooooo!" B-Sha cried in dismay, her hands over her mouth. "S-Sha...!"

"You do realize I'm sitting right next to you," S-Sha deadpanned. "Though I have to admit, that looked painful..."

The time had finally come... it was opening night for 'The Revengers' movie. The entirety of Gold Third had come to watch the film's debut, sitting in one of the rear rows, along with Uni and Rei herself.

"I-it's all special e-effects," Rei spoke up. "I have t-to admit, even I'm k-kind of s-scared of m-me on the b-big screen..."

"I'm surprised you actually volunteered to take K-Sha's place, S-Sha," Uni added. "Especially after whole murder incident..."

"...there's a reason we filmed the scene outside," S-Sha responded.

"Less chance of props or lights falling on you, huh?" K-Sha asked. "You did a pretty good job, though..."

"I think it actually helps the movie overall," C-Sha put in her two cents. "It gives Dogoo Man some good motivation for taking down Rei himself later..."

"W-we added an e-extra line p-post-production," Rei pointed out.

The group continued to watch the movie, until the final confrontation between Rei Ryghts and Dogoo Man, which played out exactly as before, with the villainess being subjected to a brutal smackdown...

"Hmph. Puny god," Dogoo Man said on-screen as he crossed his arms, before the scene shifted to an overhead shot of the prone Rei. "That's what you get for killing my mistress."

"Now that's an ironic echo," K-Sha observed. S-Sha silently nodded in agreement, a small smile tugging at her lips in spite of herself...

 _December 18, 9:30 PM_

 _Lastation City Multiplex Theaters_

 _Main Lobby_

"That was sooo cool!" B-Sha exclaimed as the group walked into the lobby. "I honestly think the Revengers could give the CPUs a run for their money!"

"Not in real life, they couldn't," Uni muttered. "I liked watching Titanium Man's dialogue with Rei, though... Mr. Downer said he was kinda nervous, but it actually kinda added to the scene..."

"Just goes to prove how good an actor he is," C-Sha stated. "I'd say Steve Iceberg has another masterpiece on his filmography."

"Speaking of which," K-Sha spoke up, "Did you ever happen to get Tony Downer's autograph?"

Uni's red eyes went wide at this, as she clapped her hands to her cheeks in distress. "Oh, _no...!_ I was so preoccupied with getting K-Sha cleared, I completely forgot!" The rest of the group burst out laughing at this (save for Rei and S-Sha), causing the CPU Candidate to blush in embarrassment...

 **"HOLD IT!"** cried a voice as the doors outside slammed open, revealing a very pissed-off white-bereted CPU...

"Blanc?!" gasped C-Sha and Uni.

"L-Lady Blanc?" Rei cried in surprise. "Wh-what are y-you d-doing here?"

"I just finished meeting with the director of this movie," the Lowee goddess growled. "By which I mean I mashed him flat with my hammer for copyright infringement!"

"C-copyright i-infringement?!" gasped Rei. "I h-have n-no idea w-what you're t-talking about!"

"But I'm sure C-Sha does," Blanc responded, turning to her Gold Third counterpart. "Just because Rom and Ram showed you rejected designs from my 'Pocketed Monstrosities' series, doesn't give you the right to turn them into 'Ultra Beasts' for this damn movie!"

"B-but all I did was share the designs with the rest of Gold Third!" C-Sha protested.

"It was K-Sha!" cried B-Sha as she dove behind Uni in fear. "She's the one who gave those designs to that director!"

 _"T-traitor!"_ K-Sha screamed as Blanc turned her murderous gaze on her.

"Argh, I'm too hungry to transform!" C-Sha said. "Help me, S-Sha!"

"...Not interested," the platinum blonde stated as she calmly walked out of the line of fire.

"Smart move, S-Sha," Blanc nodded. "As for you two, as CPU of Lowee, I hereby find you both..."

 **GUILTY**

With that, the goddess transformed into HDD. "And now comes your punishment!" she growled as she brandished her axe...

K-Sha and C-Sha looked at each other before screaming in unison, _"Tactical retreat!"_ Barely ducking under White's Heart's axe-swing, the two promptly fled the lobby in terror.

 _"Get back here, bitches!"_ White Heart screamed as she flew after them in pursuit, several NPCs giving the CPU a wide berth.

"Oh man..." sighed Uni, as she pulled out her Sand-Song device. "Better call Noire before the collateral damage starts racking up..."

"A-at least I d-didn't have t-to s-suffer her wrath th-this time..." Rei sighed in relief.

B-Sha nodded vigorously in agreement, while S-Sha just rolled her eyes...

~*Fin*~

Yep, looks like Noire's going to have clean up two bloody smears from the streets of Lastation! XD Thanks for reading!


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